


That Darn Cat

by Mistymay6886



Series: Magnus Bane, Psychic Detective [4]
Category: Psych, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Psych Fusion, Asexual Raphael Santiago, Case Fic, Family Drama, Family Feels, Fluff and Humor, Humor, M/M, Magnus Bane- psychic Detective, Pansexual Simon Lewis, Pre-Slash, Series, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-17 22:27:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13668591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistymay6886/pseuds/Mistymay6886
Summary: Magnus sets up his new office, works his first Official Case with the SBPD, impersonates a cat, annoys Alec, and meets some of Alec’s family; all in all, it’s a very productive few days.Third part of myMagnus Bane- Psychic DetectiveSeries***Lastly, I have found that I have a fondness for cheesy titles-(This one comes from a Movie I liked as a kid)I’d say sorry, but they make me laugh, so, I’m really notHope you enjoy the story!***





	1. New Age; Old Issues

**Author's Note:**

>  
> 
> ** Story Updated 11-13-2018 **
> 
> (So I finally finished my first ‘season’ I actually got it done, so now I’m going through, editing and making sure they all go where they’re supposed to…also cleaning up the excess emphasis things-I know I went overboard in the 1st few stories – and all that kind of thing.)
> 
>  
> 
> _-Though in regards to the italics, I DO use them to indicate inner thoughts, so some scenes may seem to have a lot of them still-_
> 
>  
> 
> I’m also making sure the formatting is all the same and I have the headings for each part correct since I’ve settled on ones I really like. I am going through the entire series so it may take me a bit…but I will get there)
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> As I said I'm getting rid of a lot of the emphasis, but that being said there'll probably be a lot with Simon...that was actually purposeful  
>  I kind of think he pretty much thinks in exclamations
> 
> **_Okay, here’s the thing:_ **
> 
>  The first part of this was basically a Pilot episode, introducing the main characters and getting them in the same general vicinity. The second was **_SUPPOSED_** to be a fluffy little one shot ( I love it but that is **_not_** what it became; though it was awful fluffy, I missed the one-shot thing by about 6k words)-
> 
>  **This** is kind of what I want the actual series to be.  Something resembling case fics, mixed with Psych type antics, and enough drama to keep it interesting.
> 
> This is my very first attempt at an actual, case fic type thing, I really don’t want to just copy the case from the Psych episode, but it may mirror it some, until I get a bit more work at this ( honestly, half the time  I’m as surprised as anyone else with where a story of mine goes ( ** _example. 8chapter, 9k, oneshot_** )
> 
> _Enough of me talking.. Let’s see where we end up with this one…_

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus begins to put together his Psychic Detective Agency, and has some fallout with his dad

 

 

 

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

_** Flashback- Santa Barbra- 2005 ** _

**_"Magnus!!"_ **

 

"Well, hey there, biscuit!" Magnus laughed as the adorable 9 year old barreled into him, nearly knocking him over with a hug.

****

_"Guess what?"_

 

"What _,_ darling?"

 

"I drew you a picture today at school" she said, proudly

****

_"You did!"_

 

"Uh huh, look. _Oh_ , wait, just a second..." she said grabbing her backpack from the couch and rummaging through it, finally holding up a piece of paper in triumph.

 

" ** _Ah, ha_** _!_ Here it is!"

 

She turned back and held up the picture proudly. It had two figures; a taller one with neon green hair, and a little redheaded girl with freckles, both wearing big, identical grins. Magnus smiled, pushing a bit of his, _currently_ , neon green hair, behind his ear.

 

"This is really __lovely_ ,_ biscuit, thank you SO much" he said giving her a hug

 

She beamed

 

"I'm glad you like it, I wanted to add some sparkly stuff for your makeup and jewelry and everything, but the teacher wouldn't let me" she grumbled rolling her eyes, face falling slightly

 

Magnus chuckled at the eye-roll

 

  _She was learning well_

 

"That's okay darling, it really is quite pretty; best picture of me I have, and you _know_ I have a LOT of those" he said with a wink.

 

She laughed, then brightened

 

" _Hey,_ I have my new gel pens; I bet I have some of those that I could use to add the sparklys!"

 

Magnus beamed, nodding enthusiastically,

 

"That's a wonderful idea, little one"

 

"Will you draw with me, too?" she asked, looking up at him hopefully

 

"Of course I will sweetheart…though, you have to promise not to laugh _too_ much at mine; you know I am not nearly as good at this as you."

 

"That's okay, I can teach you" she said cheerfully, grabbing his hand and leading him over to the table with her art supplies

 

"Thank you, sweetheart" Magnus said softly with a warm smile settling down next to her, beginning to draw

 

"Magnus?"

 

"Yes, biscuit?"

 

"You're the best babysitter _ever_ "

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

_** Present Day ** _

 

"Well, how about this?" Clary asked, showing Magnus a bright, pretty, prismatic type thing that looked quite a bit like a crystal ball. They were in Clarys’ shop ‘ ** _Wiccan Wishes_** ’. It was a new age type store that was a haphazard mishmash of crystals, eclectic jewelry, and decorations, as well as different items and bric-a-brac featuring power symbols from diverse cultures and regions. There was also an apothecary type area with a variety of fresh and dried herbs and, basically, anything else any artistic, Wiccan or new age type individual could ever want or need.

 

_Magnus really rather loved the shop; it was so random and unique._

 

He adored just coming in to visit Clary and losing himself wandering the isles, bouncing from various types of crystals and talismans to really unique, eye catching pieces that you couldn't find anywhere else. The walls were absolutely covered with various dream-catchers and wall hangings interspersed with Clarys own artwork. Everywhere you looked there were crystals hanging, casting prismatic rainbows whenever the sunlight from the shops windows caught.

 

Magnus always thought stepping into this shop was rather like having a glimpse into the endearing redheads mind; into her heart. All bright, warm and chaotic; A wonderful mix of new age ideology and artistic style that truly was one of a kind.

 

_It really summed her up quite nicely._

 

They were currently wandering the isles; picking and choosing things to add to Magnus's soon to be opened "psychic detective agency"-Name Pending.

 

 When he'd first told Clary about his new career she had laughed so hard she could barely stand; claiming that _only Magnus_ could end up turning getting pulled in for questioning in a museum heist into a brand new career.

_Which, _well_ , that was true enough._

 

After her initial giggling fit was under control she had been excited; insisting that she would help him put together a convincing 'psychic' office and persona-

_Though_ , _he kind of wondered if she wasn't just trying to sell half her back stock to clear out some space._

 

 It was rather a moot point though; ever since she was a child she'd pretty much had him wrapped around her little finger. All she had to do was give him that hopeful imploring look with those big green eyes and he was rather powerless to deny her.

 

He'd started babysitting her when she was just 7, before he was even in high school himself, his very first job. Over the years he'd grown to think of her almost as a little sister, and one of his best friends-

 

_Certainly_ _his nicest best friend;_

 

He still swears Raphael is, And _always_ has been, a cranky old man, trapped in a much younger body.

 

"That's lovely, biscuit, add it to the rest."

 

He drifted over towards the jewelry; this was easily his favorite part of the shop _, _well next to Clary, of course_._ Most of the jewelry Clary had made herself (she really was quite talented).  All of it was completely unique, completely original.

 

He picked up two, quite striking rings- one was black and seemed to almost shimmer; it had a dark, midnight blue stone encircled by tiny, brilliant, fire orange ones. The other one almost seemed to be the mirror image of it. The gold gleamed in the light, with the small blue stones almost looking black unless the light caught it just right, the brilliant, orange stone in the center seemed to nearly take on an unearthly glow.

 

He smiled a bit; the girl really was an artist.

 

A bright, cheerful giggle stopped Magnus's musings. He turned to Clary.

 

"What is it biscuit?"

 

"I was just thinking; you really couldn't of thought of a better lie. You already have the look down" she said gesturing to him, with warm laugh.

 

He glanced over catching his reflection in an ornate standing mirror. He had on a deep violet shirt with a slightly shimmery black rose pattern with the top three buttons left undone, leaving room to see the four necklaces of varying lengths he’d added. He’d paired them with a black studded belt and tight black jeans, which almost looked like leather. He’d added three rings, and his favorite ear-cuff. He had used his Brilliant Violet highlighter on his hair today, and had a similar shade of eyeliner to match, using a cool violet-pink lip-gloss with just a slight shimmer to complete the look.

 

He just shrugged, chuckling a bit,

_She kind of had him, there._

 

"Though you could add a bit more jewelry; you know, if you want to _really_ sell it"

 

Magnus laughed, giving her a mock suspicious look, raising an eyebrow

 

" _Clarissa Fray_ ; I'm starting to think you're just trying to dupe me into buying out your entire store!"

 

"Oh, no, I wouldn't do that… _never_ " she said with a _way_ too innocent look (Magnus is really quite proud- he taught her that look, after all)

 

He tried to keep looking serious, but failed, finally just giving into the laugh he couldn't keep in. Giving a mock eye roll and huff

 

"Trying to take advantage of your best friend, what is this world coming to?" he mock grumbled, then shrugged, and added both rings, along with a few other pieces to, _what was now_ , his very sizable stock pile.

 

_At this rate he'll be lucky if he can get it all in one trip._

 

"Now about those crystals...."

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

_He _does_ actually manage to bring all his items in one trip to his new Office; though it is a bit of a struggle. _

 

It’s a somewhat small office set in an old storefront; he thinks at one time it had been everything from a drycleaners, a hair salon, to a Thai take away place. He has a vague recollection of seeing a pet grooming place and a portrait studio at this spot as well; really Psychic Detective Agency fits right in with the rest.

 

He bought it a few days ago. As of yet he hasn’t worked any current cases for the SBPD; chief Garroway having him combing over cold cases seeing if his ‘psychic’ abilities could come up with anything new for the last three weeks.

 

He had a few hits, a few new leads, and was actually able to give them some information to close a few. It really was quite exhilarating, at first…

 

  _But it was getting a bit old._

 

 He really wanted to work a current, ongoing case _._ Luke had assured him that it would happen; it just might take a bit more time. Detective Lightwood was rather determined to keep him off of the current cases.

 

Magnus rolled his eyes slightly; the man was _very_ attractive and really quiet interesting, but he really was becoming a bit of a pain _,_ constantly putting up roadblocks. He never _, _for a second__ bought the ‘psychic’ thing; would constantly tell people he was 'Not psychic'. It was becoming somewhat annoying.

 

_He was, however, **quite** fun to play with. _

 

With him, Magnus always felt like he had to be on his toes. It was rather exciting; really, Magnus never really knew which version of Alec he’d get. One minute the guy was confident, and determined, sometimes boarding on stoic, at others, he was sarcastic and cool, with a rather dry sense of humor that had a tendency to pleasantly surprise Magnus. 

 

He was rather fun to argue with as well; he didn’t back down and gave as good as he got. It was rather thrilling; he’d  found himself more than a few times arguing points that he didn’t even believe _himself_ , just to get a rise out of the detective.

 

 His favorite version of Alec ( _Alexander,_ he had found out, much to his delight- it just fit the man so well) was when Magnus would catch the guy off guard; throw him off balance, leaving him blushing and stuttering;

 

 _It was just so_ _cute_!

 

Magnus can’t help a bit of a chuckle, remembering the first time he’d seen the detective so flustered, when he’d attempted to interrogate Magnus about a museum heist. It really would be quite fun if he got to work with the detective on a more regular basis. As it was, he just saw him a few times as he was going to talk to the chief about some of the old cases. He really needed to find a way to get on a case _with_ Alec.

 

Magnus was pulled from his musings by the sound of the office door opening. He turned, and sighed.

 

“Hey, dad, how are things?” he asked sarcastically with a fake, overly cheery tone

 

Henry shrugged faintly,

 

“Oh, you know, good. Ran into an old buddy of mine who works in the records office at SBPD”

 

 

“Well, isn't that’s nice?”

 

Henry nodded, glancing around the shop

 

“Yeah, it was…really great catching up. He told me about his son the doctor, and showed me pictures of his new granddaughter”

 

“How lovely”

 

Henry nodded wide eyed, before zeroing in on his son,

 

“Yeah, then, funny thing? He congratulated me on my son, _the psychic_ ** _,_** working at the precinct. Asked me when you’re _new Agency_ would be up and running.”

 

“Well isn’t that sweet of him? Let him know it should be up within the week”

 

Henry sighed, shaking his head,

 

“Magnus; what are you doing?”

 

He rolled his eyes, raising his eyebrow

 

“I’m opening a psychic detective agency and working with the SBPD…

 

 Really, we **_just_** went over this”

 

Henry shook his head, folding his arms, and leveled Magnus with his standard ‘ _angry and disappointed_ ’ look

 

“So, what? you’re just going to go around making a fool of yourself, _of the department_?”

“I'm not; I'm being a detective- just like we _both_ wanted” Magnus argued

 

Henry gives a rather harsh laugh

 

“This is _not_ what I wanted.”

 

“Well; _this_ is about the closest I'm getting. **This** is a way I can be a detective, work cases and solve crimes; and I can do it as myself- that is all I've ever wanted.” Magnus glared, facing him down

 

Henry raised his eyebrow, mouth set in a firm line, crossing his arms challengingly

 

“What if I go to the chief? Report you… this is fraud.” Henry countered

 

Magnus sighed; started to turn, to walk away from Henry. He didn’t even want to look at the man anymore.

 

_It didn’t even surprise him, really._

 

“Why do you even care, anyways? Why would it even matter to you?” he demanded, shaking his head faintly

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Magnus turns back, locking eyes with him, giving a somewhat cruel laugh:

 

“Dad, we have one awkward, usually silent, dinner a month. When I decided not to be a detective, _you_ pretty much, decided to stop being a father”

 

He paused, taking a deep breath, shaking his head somewhat defeatedly,

 

“I-It's fine…I've adjusted, I have accepted it. You stopped caring what I was doing _a long_ time ago; why don’t we just keep that up. I don't expect you to accept me; _I sure as **hell**_ don't expect you to approve. I gave up on anything like that years ago…”

 

He closed his eyes, rubbing his temples, leaned his head back, resting against the door, and placed his hand on the doorknob, pausing,

 

“But is it _really_ so much to ask for you not to actively _, purposefully_ take away my **one** chance at something I've wanted my entire life? Is that really too much for me to ask of my father?

 

 J-Just stay out of it, ignore it, pretend it doesn't exist… You should be good at that…

 

 God knows you've had enough practice at this point.”

 

Magnus quietly opens the door and walks out, leaving Henry standing alone in the Office.

 

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a bit of an emotional whiplash kinda thing, and maybe it should have been two chapters, but it just seems to work for me. I know it gets kind of angsty and broody; but I **_really_** want to be able to have Magnus and Henrys relationship rebuild and strengthen throughout this series; once again, similar to the show. I actually want to try to expand what I can do right now- I **_love_** Fluff and Humor ( _and, **let’s be real** , that’s probably where 75-80% of this is gonna be_) but I **do** want to try some more serious stuff as well. I really want this to feel like the show (you know, before it turned into “ _What Random Trope can we throw at the audience this week; **really that worked?** Okaayy.._”) I want a good balance of humor, heart, case fic, and emotional moments, maybe even a bit of darker moments, just to really even things out- at least this is my goal.
> 
> _Anyway… Onto the actual **Case** part of the case fic…._


	2. Denial & Distractions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raphael tries to cheer up Magnus... This is not his strong suit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I reworked this a bit, (didn't really change anything, just added a bit and made it so it flows a bit better)  
> I actually really like how this is going so far  
> Next chapter (maybe two, but I don't want to promise anything) will be up later today

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Raphael-Raphael-Raphael-Raphael-Raphael

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 “So, he really said that? That he’d go to the chief… you think he actually would?” Raphael asked

 

Magnus shrugged, somewhat uncertainly,

 

“No; I-I think it was probably an empty threat… but I really don’t know anymore. I mean, I don’t think he would, just to cause me problems; not purely out of spite or vindictiveness...

 

But if he genuinely thinks that what I’m doing would hurt the _department_?

 

I-I just really don’t know” Magnus sighed, shaking his head

 

Raphael was rather surprised; he knew that things had been pretty strained between Magnus and his dad for years. When Magnus had told him that he wasn’t going to go to the police academy, it had really threw Henry, the two had had a huge blow up and Henry had said some things that, Raphael _knew_ , he regretted immediately…

 

 The damage was done, however, and it just never got back to how it was.

 

 Magnus was a very confident, self assured person, and usually wouldn’t so much as bat an eye at personal insults or criticisms. But when it came from people he loved, _that he trusted,_ from his own father…

 

That was another matter entirely.

 

Magnus had pretty much instantly closed off around Henry, and had, as of yet, steadfastly shut down or ignored the issues.

 

 Raphael knew Henry was a good man, that he _did_ care what happened with his son, but Magnus didn’t really believe it anymore, and Raphael wasn’t about to get in the middle of it.

 

However, for Henry to threaten to out Magnus as a fraud?

 

 That worried him a bit. He doubted that the older man would _purposefully_ do something that would hurt his son. On this, though? On something involving his old precinct?  He wasn’t nearly as sure as he’d like to be. Still…

 

“Well, I doubt he’d rush off and tell them right this second.  Maybe, in the mean time, if he sees that you are taking this seriously, that you are actually solving cases and helping the SBPD he could just leave it alone.

_Well, he gave it his best shot_

 

Positivity and rallying speeches really _were NOT_ his strong suit.

 

 _Charming, lying, flirting, intimating, generally just confusing the hell_ _out of people?  All good,_ _he’s got it_ -

 

 _‘Cheerleading’_?

 

 _Yeah;_ _no, not so much._

_Where was_ _Clary_ _when you needed her?_

 

Maybe he should call Simon; the guy was practically cheerfulness and optimism personified. He was working today though. Maybe they could call him and meet for lunch or something.

 

“You’re thinking about your _boyfriend_ ; aren’t you?” Magnus asked in a somewhat childish, teasing tone

 

That rather brought him up short. Either Raphael was better at this whole ‘ _cheer’_ thing then he thought (Not likely), or Magnus just wanted to ignore this part of his Henry Drama, same as the rest of it. Raphael was kind of betting on the latter with this one; no sense in them _both_ being in denial. They really did need to straighten this out though.

 

 He was in this just as much as Magnus, really; If Henry went around the station telling everyone Magnus was a fraud…

 

 _Yeah_ _Raphael was kind of screwed too_.

 

He’d try to talk to Magnus later, after he’d cooled down a bit…

 

_But right now…_

 

“What, _no,_ why?”

 

“Because you’re _smiling_ ”

 

“I was not”

 

“Yeah, you were; _really_ _sappily_ _too_!”

 

Raphael rolled his eyes,

 

 _Why was he trying to cheer up this obnoxious jackass again_?

 

“I wasn’t, I- well, okay, kind of; I just thought maybe we could call him and see if he wanted to meet us for lunch somewhere, that’s all…”

 

Magnus laughed

 

“ _Aww_ ; you’re just SO cute”

 

“Oh, shut up” he grumbled giving his best glare- it’d never really worked on Magnus, but it was worth a shot

 

It was only then that he realized Magnus seemed to be speeding up a bit, when Magnus started to walk up a side street, taking them into a residential area. After Magnus had texted him about the argument he’d told him to come meet him at New Wave Beach. As soon as Raphael got there they’d just kind of started walking. At the time, he’d just figured that Magnus needed some time to breathe… Magnus could never really sit still when he was agitated.

 

He figured they were just wandering, and Magnus just needed a bit of a break, only now, he realized, Magnus seemed to have a specific destination in mind.

 

“Uh, Mags’…are we going somewhere in particular?”

 

Magnus glanced over his shoulder with an overly bright grin and careless shrug,

 

“Hmm…oh, it’s just such a lovely day; I thought we’d take a nice, leisurely, walk. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?”

 

“ _Uh,_ _huh._.. And, does this ‘Nice, leisurely walk’ have a _specific_ destination in mind?”

 

“Why would you think that, darling?” Magnus asked, far too innocently, turning up another street.

_Yeah_ , _something was up-_

 

“Magnus?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Where are we going?”

 

“I _told_ you; we’re just going for a walk”

 

“And the walk is going this, **_specific_** way, because…?”

 

“Because this is the way to the crime scene, _obviously_ ”

 

“Crime Scene?”

 

“Well, yes; you did say you wanted to talk to darling Simon, to invite him to lunch? We may as well just ask him in person”

 

“And you know where he… _and **Lightwood**_ … ** _Of course_** , are working on a case… _how_?”

 

Magnus shrugged, giving a sweet, innocent-entirely fake, look,

 

“Well, darling; would you believe it’s just part of my _amazing_ psychic gift?”

 

Raphael gave him an unimpressed look and a raised eyebrow

 

He rolled his eyes, huffing faintly,

 

“Okay, well, that… _and_ that’s what came across on the police scanner I swiped the last time I was at the station.”

 

Raphael sighed

 

“So, you have a stolen police scanner”

 

“Yes darling”

 

“In the car.”

 

“Yup”

 

“And we are heading to a crime scene”

 

“Yes”

 

“A crime scene being investigated by _Detective Lightwood_.”

 

“Yes, dear, do keep up”

 

He sighed, giving a derisive smile

 

“ Uh, huh… Mags; You do realize that bringing **stolen** police equipment, that _it is illegal for civilians to even have_ , to an _active crime scene_ , Being investigated by a detective that is kind of set on proving that you’re a fraud _,_ Is probably a **_bad_** idea…right?”

Magnus rolled his eyes

 

“ _Yes,_ darling _;_ that is why we parked so far away”

 

“ _It’s _like_ two blocks away!”_

 

“Exactly, two whole blocks _._ Now come along dear, I want to get there before they finish” he said, speeding up

 

“M-wa- that’s re-, _oh, _what the hell__ **, _fine_** , let’s go”

 

_At times like this, Raphael _ **really**_ regretted some of his life choices_

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

The house was a rather nice looking white two story with a deep midnight blue trim. It really seemed like it would be quite welcoming. The yard was immaculate, a small flower garden bordering the edges of the house and running along the cobblestone walk. It almost looked like an ideal photo, except for the yellow crime scene tape.

 

They cautiously walked up the steps. Luckily, the door was open; they slipped in quietly behind some of the Crime scene techs. Magnus noticed Alec and Simon in one corner talking quietly to a tech, both turned away from he and Raphael. Everyone seemed quite busy, as of yet, no one had noticed them.

 

_That was good… it gave Magnus a bit of time to look over the scene, take in the clues._

 

There were a few pill bottles spread out around the scene. Several empty, and partially empty, alcohol bottles were on the table by the couch. There were some letters on the coffee table, as well as what appeared to be a foreclosure notice. It all painted a very sad picture. The poor guy had gotten in too far over his head and just couldn’t deal with everything anymore.

 

Something just wasn’t right though: the bottles were a bit too straight, the pill containers were emptied out, contents strewn about, but- quickly looking at the counts on some of the bottles, most of them were accounted for. Everything just seemed a bit too ‘right’…It felt staged.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

Magnus was pulled out of his thoughts by Alec’s abrupt demand. Quickly pulling himself together he turned on his most charming smile

 

“Hello, Detective, so nice to see you, you look **_gorgeous_** , as always”

 

“Yeah _,_ really nice _,_ great to see you, nice _-whatever the hell it is you’re wearing_ … **_what_** are you doing _here_?”

 

“Well, _we-_ ” Magnus started, putting his hand on Raphael’s shoulder, Raphael gives a very fake, _very_ sarcastic wave and smile, followed by a very real, _**very**_ put-upon rolling of his eyes.

 

“Were just in the neighborhood and thought we’d see if you and Detective Lewis wanted to join us for lunch?”

 

“Uh, huh; okay and you knew where we were, _how_ _?”_

 

Magnus rolled his eyes

 

“ _Psychic_ , darling, I do keep telling you”

 

Alec scoffs

 

“Yeah, sure. Okay, ‘ _you’re_ _Magical’_ ”

 

“Why, thank you darling! That is so _sweet_ of you to say”

 

“ _Oh, you know I didn’t mean it!_ ”

 

“But you will…I can _sense_ it” Magnus said, cheekily

 

“ _Smartass_ ” Alec mutters

 

Magnus grinned

 

“Perhaps we can help with the case, we can discuss it over lunch; I _sense_ that you need my help”

 

“I don’t. Even if it **_was_** an actual case, I really don’t need the help of a deceitful, overzealous, charlatan like you.”

 

Magnus smirked, eyes sparking mischievously

 

“My, my, that is awfully descriptive, detective… you’ve been thinking about me quite a lot, have you?”

 

Alec blushes slightly

 

“Oh _,_ don’t flatter yourself”

 

Magnus laughed brightly, playfully raising his eyebrow,

 

“Why would I need to? You’ve complimented me three times since I’ve got here”

 

Alec scoffed, eyes wide,

 

“ ** _What_** ** _?!_** _Are you delusional_? Should we get you to a psychiatrist?”

 

Magnus grins, counting off on his fingers

 

“ ** _One_** , you complimented my outfit, **_two_** , you called me ‘ _Magical’_ , and **_three_** , you called me smart”

 

“ _Ass_ _, Smart_ **Ass** ” Alec clarified

 

Magnus grinned

 

“Ah, so, _that’s_ what you were looking at... I _have_ been told it's one of my better features”

 

Alec flushed, brightly

 

“I-I wa-no, I-Oh, I was not! _Will you just leave_ ; I have work to do and you _must_ have other people to annoy”

 

“Aww... but no one is as much fun to annoy as you” Magnus batted his eyes, exaggeratedly and continued

 

“Besides, there is the matter of the case; I still sense that you need my help”

 

“ ** _I don’t!_** Besides it’s not even much of a case anyways; the guy killed himself, he just got too far behind on everything and couldn't take it anymore. It’s sad, but there’s not much we can do, except notify the family.” He finished with a bit of a shrug

 

Magnus shook his head

 

“ _Darling_ , I do so hate to disappoint you, but you are wrong”

 

“What are y-” Alec began but was cut off by Simon

 

“Hi guys! What are you doing here, are you guys working a case with us?”

 

“No”

 

“Yes”

 

Simon looked confused by Magnus and Alec’s simultaneous answers. He shakes his head and turns to Raphael; his whole face seems to light up.

 

“ _Hi_ ”

 

“Hey Simon”

 

He smiles almost shyly, a faint blush forming

 

“D-do, umm, wha-, _not that I’m_ ** _complaining_** or anything, you know, but umm… w-why are you guys here?”

 

Raphael smiles, a real smile this time, he slipped a bit closer,

 

“Well…I wanted to call you and see if you wanted to meet for lunch… _Magnus_ thought it’d be a better idea to come crash a crime scene, annoy Alec and, if he has time, help with the case…though I think it’s mostly to annoy Alec.”

 

Simon gave a bit of a laugh, slipping closer to Raphael, brushing his hair back behind his ear, glancing over at Raphael bashfully

 

“Eres demasiado adorable para ser verdad”

 

“Raphael, you _do_ remember I don’t speak Spanish, right?”

 

“Yeah” he gave a faint nod,

 

“So…what did you say?”

 

“You are _way_ too adorable to be true”

 

Simon blushes brighter

 

“God, you two really are almost _sickeningly_ sweet” Magnus muttered

 

“Shut _up_ Magnus” Raphael snapped

 

“Umm, did I miss something?” Alec asked, somewhat confused, Magnus drama momentarily forgotten

 

Simon positively beamed, bouncing faintly, giving an animated nod.

 

“Yeah, we’re dating; I really _fell_ for him”

 

Raphael chuckled a bit, Magnus rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t quite stop the smile. Alec felt like he was still missing something.

 

He glanced between them before shrugging slightly,

 

“I think we’re almost done here; if you want, I’ll come to lunch with you guys” he paused, glancing over at his partner,

 

“Alec, do you want to come, too?” Simon asked, hopefully

 

Alec thought about that; Between Simon’s chattering, Raphaels glaring ( _the guy was _weirdly_ intimidating_ ), and Magnus’s, well, _Magnus-ing_ , he figured the suicide scene seemed to be the less stressful, depressing option.

 

“Umm **…** no, no I really don’t…you go ahead, I’ll finish up with this and meet you back at the station”

 

Simon’s face fell a bit, but he nodded, looking around with a faint sigh,

 

“Okay. Man, this was really sad; I can’t imagine being so upset that you just end up giving up” he shook his head

_“He didn’t”_

 

The other three turned to look at Magnus

 

“What do you mean, can you, like, _sense_ it or something?” Simon asked curiously

 

Alec huffed,

 

“He can’t _‘sense’_ _anything_ , Simon. He’s playing us” Alec stated, firmly.

 

Really this was just to much…Alec actually liked the kid, he seemed smart; he’d been a lot less annoying than Alec had thought he’d be ( _don’t get him wrong, he _ **was**_ annoying, just not nearly as bad as Alec had been fearing when he’d heard of the new partnership_ ).

 

He actually thought the guy could make a decent detective; but he was way too gullible.

 

“No, I’m not, I can feel it, and there _was_ someone else here” Magnus insisted

 

“ _There was not_!

 

 We have been over the place, a few times. _He_ is the only one that was here!”

 

Magnus shook his head

 

“No he wasn’t; there was someone else here!”

 

Magnus’s eyes landed on a small dish in the corner, seeing a tiny face peeking out from under a chair

 

“You have to at least let me interview the witness”

 

“ _There WAS no witness_!”

 

“Yes there _was!_ _”_ Magnus proclaims pointing dramatically towards the chair

 

“ _That cat saw everything_ ”

 

“ _ **Seriously**_ _, what the f-?_ ” Raphael muttered under his breath

_You know, weirdly intimidating or not? Alec was kind of with him on this one_

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually really like how this is going so far  
> Next chapter (maybe two, but I don't want to promise anything) will be up later today  
>  _I really **adore** Simon  & Raphael_
> 
> So, how is it so far?


	3. Cat Like Reflexes

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Raphael-Raphael-Raphael-Raphael-Raphael

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

_Magnus is my best friend…_

_Magnus is my best friend…_

**_Magnus is my BEST friend…_ **

 

Raphael kept repeating this in his head, hoping that it would stop him from just giving up and slinking out the door while the others were distracted by Magnus’s, _whatever the_ ** _hell_** he was doing.

 

_Hadn’t they _just_ talked about him taking this seriously? _

 

_About him _ **helping**_ the police and proving to his dad that he was _NOT_ trying to make a _fool_ of himself **OR** the department?_

 

Breathe…

_Magnus is-You know, how badly do I_ **_really_ ** _need friends?_

_Okay_ , _that’s_ _not working_

_Without Magnus, you wouldn’t of met Simon,_

_Without Magnus, you wouldn’t of met **Simon**_

_Without Magnus, you wouldn’t be_ **_dating_ ** _Simon_

__

_**You’re Dating Simon** _

_...Alright, that’s better_

 

He took a deep breath, tuned back in and prepared to just sit back and watch whatever crazy show this ended up becoming. Magnus strode across the room, dipping down to scoop up the cat.

 

Well, kitten…It was really just a little bit of a thing. A little, tiny black ball of fluff with brilliant green eyes.

 

_Raphael _refused_ to call it cute_

 

Magnus turned back towards them bringing the tiny kitten over to the rest of the group.

 

“So, what? You’re Doctor Doolittle now?” Alec asked deadpan

 

Magnus chuckled faintly, shrugging,

 

“Well, I don’t truly ‘ _hear’_ them talking, like an actual voice-”

 

Alec tilted his head, raising his eyebrow sarcastically,

 

“Really? That’s actually surprising; you hearing voices would explain _so_ much”

 

Magnus turned slightly towards Simon, handing him the kitten, Simon’s entire face lit up, breaking out in a brilliant, soft smile, eyes sparkling bright and happy, eagerly cuddling the kitten close.

_Aww…_

_No,_ **_Focus_ **

 

Magnus turned back to the detective, giving an amused, challenging smirk,

 

“Now, now, detective, no need to be _rude_ ; I’m just a conduit. I can only tell _you_ what the cat tells _me_ ”

 

Alec scoffed

 

“Is it _telling_ you that you need therapy? Because if _it IS_ _; **I agree with the cat!”**_

 

Raphael snickered at that; the detective was quite a match for Magn-

__

_**Oh, for god’s sakes**_ …

 

  _What is that idiot doing_ ** _now!_**

 

Magnus slinked up to Alec, sliding up against him, leaning in, nuzzling against his neck, making a _very_ convincing purring sound. The detective froze, totally bewildered

 

_Raphael could emphasize_

 

“W-wha-what the hell are you doing?” he managed to stutter out

 

Magnus just made another purring sound slipping even closer, purring louder and begun kneading the fabric of Alec’s Suit jacket.

 

Shooting a furtive glance his way, Magnus sent a subtle wink to Raphael.

__

_**Seriously?!** _

 

He widened his eyes at Raphael

__

_**That stupid so-** _

_Simon, Simon, Simon_

**_Crap_** , _fine_...

 

“He can’t really hear you right now; he’s kind of channeling the cat” Raphael gritted out

 

“He-he’s what?”

 

Raphael sighed heavily,

 

 _Magnus was SO much Work_ …

 

He nodded

 

“Yeah, he can kind of _see_ what the cat saw”

_I hate my life_

 

“He basically thinks he IS the cat”

_I_ **_will_ ** _get him back for this_

 

“That is SO cool!” Simon exclaimed animatedly

_He’s_ _so_ _cute…_

_**No, focus…** _

__

__ _Magnus idiocy first, ridiculously adorable boyfriend later…_

 

“Well, can you get him to snap out of it or something?” Alec asked annoyed and very flustered,

_Huh; didn’t know a person could turn that bright of a color_

 

“ _Fortunately_ , it doesn’t last too long, he should snap out of it _**ANY second**_ ”

 

Magnus kept purring

_Okay_ _, he knew Magnus needed a distraction from the thing with his dad;_ _he got it,_ _and he _ **emphasized**_ _, damnit__.

 

_But this? This needed to stop;_

 

 _Like, right now_. _The level of embarrassment was bordering on_ _painful_. _At least most of the techs where gone so no one was witnessing this stupidity_

 

Raphael looked around, and then smiled

 

“Oh, I think we can move it along”

 

He quickly reached over and grabbed a bright blue spray bottle conveniently placed by a houseplant- He was _reasonably_ sure it was water and not some kind of plant food, or toxin or something-

 

He held it up, pointed it directly at Magnus’s face, and pulled the trigger.

 

Magnus sputtered and stumbled back a bit, glaring at him. Raphael just smiled back, with a raised eyebrow.

 

“There, see he’s back now” he smirked

 

Magnus glared, dripping faintly,

 

“That really was unnecessary”

 

He shook his head, putting on a false, concerned look,

 

“Oh, it was necessary _;_ you _know_ how hard it is to snap you out of one of those episodes. It’s really not good for you to stay under for so long. Usually it’s just a _ONE TIME thing_ , but just in case, I’ll make sure to keep a spray bottle on hand while we’re dealing with this…

 

 You know, for your own safety”

 

“I _think_ I have it under control now, thanks” Magnus groused

 

“Well, you know, can never be **too** careful” Raphael said, all Mock sincerity with a dangerously sharp smile

 

“You are just _too_ sweet, Raph”

 

“I know”

 

Alec cleared his throat; he didn’t really know what was going on, but it probably should stop, whatever it was.

 

“Umm, s- _so_ …uh…what the hell was that?” he asked looking between the two men,

 

Magnus turned to him with a bit of a flourish and an impish smirk,

 

“That, _my Darling Detective_ , was me getting information for the case.”

 

“From the cat?”

 

“Yes, dear”

 

 “Uh huh; and what did ‘ _ **the cat’**_ say?”

 

“That I was right. The owner didn’t kill himself, he was murdered…”

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

_You know? There was a time when he was a really well respected, calm, cool headed detective._

 

He was the youngest Head Detective the department had ever had, reaching it when he was just barely thirty one. He had been head detective for two years now and had done quite well. He was great under pressure; had an exemplary record with a _very_ impressive closure rate on cases. He was professional ( _affair with his ex-partner notwithstanding.)_

 

Alec prided himself on his ability to handle people, to keep calm, cool and in control regardless of what life, family, work, or the world in general threw at him. He was confident in his abilities and in himself. He always knew where he stood, what he could do, and never really let anyone get the best of him ( _his siblings didn’t count_ ).

 

Everything was rather straightforward, everything made sense; everything had a reason, at least some trace of logic to it.

 

 _His _ **life**_ made sense_.

 

All that seemed to go out the window when this Magnus guy crashed into his life.

 

Now he was standing around a crime scene, listening to a supposed _Psychic_ , who looked like he’d just stepped out of some weird, crazy, high fashion magazine _, I mean seriously, was he on his way to a club or something_ _before he decided to crash a crime scene_ \- who was contradicting his findings.

 

And why was he so _damn_ convinced Alec was wrong?

 

Because a cat told him

**_A Cat_ ** _**Told** _ **_Him._ **

 

Alec sighed and shook his head.

__

_How was this his life?_

 

“So what was **_‘the cats’_** evidence?”

_Seriously, how?_

 

Magnus smiled

_Oh, that can’t possibly be good…_

 

He walked slowly around the room, gracefully circling; it was similar to how he’d moved when he thought he was a cat…

 

_Not that Alec believed that or anything_

 

_It was actually pretty distracting_

__

_**ANNOYING**_ , _it was_ _annoying_

 

_So was the cat thing_

_It was;_ _**damnit**_!

 

_Oh, shut up_

 

Magnus paused near the sofa, where the body was found. He leaned over, reaching down between the couch cushions and brought up a few scraps of newspaper. He placed them on the table, piecing them together, then stood back so the others could see.

 

It was an article from a small newspaper from Nevada…nothing of any real substance, just a small local paper featuring fluff pieces and the like. The article in question was from three days ago. It had a picture of a man that had hit one of the largest jackpots on record at the Golden Sun Casino; just a bit over three million dollars. The article had a picture of the winner.

 

It was the _supposed_ suicide victim.

 

Magnus smiled a bit

 

“So, you still think there isn’t a case?”

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense yet, but it will (I think- at least I should be able to spin it enough so it seems like it does)
> 
> I **_really_** wanted to try something besides just parroting back the case from the actual Psych episode
> 
> I liked doing the inner monologue for Alec and Raphael
> 
> I might use that a bit more
> 
> I **loved** having Raphael thinking about Simon to calm himself
> 
> _Also, as this is supposed to be a story that has actual progression, I jotted down a quick outline- for this part, literally all I had was:_
> 
> ** Raphael tries to explain what is happening while being completely exasperated with Magnus and regretting all his choices that have lead to this point in his life **
> 
> _Anytime I read it, it made me laugh, so I figured I’d share_
> 
> _Anyways,_ what do you think so far?
> 
>  


	4. The Cat Caught A Case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, apparently, the cat thing worked, much to Alec's annoyance

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

 “What do you mean you’re hiring him for the case?” Alec asked, shocked

 

Luke gave a faint shrug,

 

“Alec; he found evidence that no one else did. Everyone else was ready to write it off as a suicide. The case would have been closed and we would have been none the wiser”

 

Alec shook his head quickly,

 

“But, chief, come on. There _is_ still the possibility that it was a suicide; it may not seem to be as cut and dry as we had at first thought, but it still _could have been_. And now that we do know that there is the possibility of foul play and that there was ample motive we can proceed, look into all the other angles.

 Please, just let me and Simon work the case a bit, let us work on this _without_ him, see if we can’t drum up more evidence.”

 

He seemed to stiffen faintly, standing up straighter, leveling Alec with a rather pointed gaze,

 

“ **Detective** ;” Chief Garroway began sharply,

 

“He found the evidence; he _is_ working the case as well. I apologize, but that’s all there is to it. I already have him contracted to work with us, I’m not taking evidence that _he…_ and he **_alone_** , caught, and excluding him from a case just because he makes you _uncomfortable_ for some reason.”

 

That rather brought Alec up short; suddenly realizing that Garroway had completely came to the wrong conclusion as to his hesitation about working with Magnus. He shook his head quickly, hastening to explain,

 

“It’s not that he makes me _uncomfortable_.” Alec sighed, trying to figure out how to explain without just seeming like he was being a judgmental ass…

 

“It’s just...he’s _just_ ** _so_**...

 

He’s unprofessional; he flirts and jokes and teases _constantly_. I mean, I know he can be serious…I’m assuming, at least I think he was, for like, half an hour when Dax _really_ pissed him off…but other than that?  It seems like everything’s a joke to him.

 

How can I work with someone who treats _everything_ I’ve worked my entire life for, as a joke, or some kind of entertainment; little more than a hobby? Just something to fill the time. 

 

And another thing, Chief…I don’t trust the guy, at all. It seems like everyone around here just buys the psychic thing; but I don’t. Every sense I have is telling me he is lying; about this and who knows what else. Yet anytime I say anything about it, people look at me like _I’m_ the one not making sense, being ridiculous or unreasonable.” He paused shaking his head sighing faintly,

 

I-I don’t- it’s not that I necessarily think he’s a bad guy or anything. He seems sharp and entertaining and interesting… if I’d met the guy, literary, anywhere other than work it’d be completely different.

 

 But here? I just really don’t think he belongs at crime scenes, in the precinct.

 

 I just don’t _._ ”

 

Luke shook his head a bit, not seeming as forceful as before, but still insistent

 

“Alec, I understand that; I do. But I genuinely think you are underestimating him.  His methods may be a bit unusual-”

 

Alec scoffed

 

“That’s putting it mildly”

 

“ _But_ , I think there is a lot more to him then just what you see. Please, just give it a chance; see what he is capable of.

 

It was my decision to hire him, anything he does, it reflects on me; my reputation is on the line with this more so than anyone’s. I chose to take this risk on him because I truly believe that he can be a real asset to us, to the department.

 

As unorthodox as he may seem, I really don’t think we’ll regret taking this chance.”

 

He wasn’t budging, Alec had one last shot

 

“You _do_ know that the evidence he found; _technically_ , he only found it because of a tip from a cat?”

 

“He… What now?”

 

Alec nodded exasperatedly,

 

“Oh, yeah, _apparently_ , he can talk to animals. Also he spent about 20 minutes today convinced he _was_ a cat. He was purring and cuddling up against me. He only snapped out of it when his weirdly intimidating friend sprayed him with a water bottle.”

 

Luke tried to cover his laugh with a cough, but it didn’t really work

 

“ _That_ is- how-um…well, I _did_ say unusual. Look, Alec, I’m not taking him off the case; you’re just going to have to deal with it”

 

Alec sighed in defeat

 

“Okay, Chief, I really hope you’re right about this; for your sake if anything else.”

 

He turned and left the room, pulling the door closed behind him,

 

 _“He thought he was a cat?”_ Luke chuckled, shaking his head

 

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 “I can’t believe you sprayed me with the water bottle!” Magnus huffed as soon as they were far enough from the house

 

“I can’t believe I _**had**_ _to_ _spray you with a water bottle_!”

 

He huffed shaking his head agitatedly,

 

“It really was uncalled for”

 

 

“ _Mag’s_ **,** you were acting like a _cat_ ; you were purring and rubbing against someone _-_ which, is weird enough, but that _someone_ was a very uptight, very prickly detective that _already_ thinks you are a fraud and is pretty well set on proving it.

 

You need to stop baiting the guy so much. I know you think it’s fun, I know you needed a distraction, but it’s a really thin line here. Just pull back on the crazy, just a bit; Or Magnus? We will get caught and we will _ **,**_ in all likelihood, end up arrested for defrauding the police department. ”

 

He shook his head, glancing over towards Magnus, softening a bit,

 

“Look, I know this with Henry has you really worried, I know you’re trying to find something to take your mind off it. But Mags, I **_also_** know how much you want this, and I just don’t want it getting messed up before it even really starts. I’m not saying you have to _totally_ stop the craziness,

 

Just try to keep it to a level that _**isn’t**_ going to get us thrown in jail, please?”

 

Magnus sighed a bit, then glanced over

 

“You’re right, sorry Raph…I know I got so carried away. I really wasn’t thinking, it was just _so_ fun getting Alec all flustered like that, he’s just adorable”

 

“If you say so” Raphael shrugged, with a bit of a laugh and roll of his eyes, tilting his head faintly, glancing back at Magnus,

 

“It was actually pretty funny… you know; when it wasn’t painfully embarrassing. _I didn’t know someone could turn that bright of color_ _”_

 

Magnus gave a bit of a chuckle, the beginnings of a smile starting

 

Raphael thought for a second,

 

“And, I know I probably shouldn’t be encouraging this and will almost certainly regret it later; but he never really got _upset._ He was flustered, and stuttering, but he didn’t seem mad about you practically _climbing_ him, just really flustered”

 

Magnus perked up a bit glancing over

 

“He really didn’t, did he?”

 

Raphael nodded,

 

“You might actually have a shot with him after all.”

 

Magnus smiled a bit; then his face fell slightly

 

“Do you think I completely ruined our chances of working the case? I mean I know it was out there, and I know it probably really didn’t _help_ matters, but do you think it’s something I can come back from?”

 

Raphael thought a minute

 

“Well…acting like you were _**possessed**_ _by a cat_ isn’t exactly the modicum of professionalism that we’re going for…but, well, they’ve believed this ‘psychic’ thing so far. It may not get us on this case, but you DID find evidence that no one else did, you did find a motive, and you found what, while may not be _concrete_ proof of murder, is definitely enough to open the case up for further investigation.”

 

Raphael gave him a bit of a reassuring smile

 

“I don’t think you ruined it; may have delayed our first case a bit-”

 

He was about to say more, but was interrupted by his phone signaling a text. Taking it out of his pocket, he read it, then, just to be sure, read it again

 

“What is it?” Magnus asked curiously

 

“Well; I guess you didn’t delay this as much as we thought; that was Simon, Chief Garroway put us on the case, he said to come to the station.”

 

Magnus positively beamed as they sped up to get back to where they had parked, a bit more of a spring in his step.

 

_He really was going to get his chance…_

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so not much progression here, really just a bit of a transition, but we’re actually moving onto the case now, so it’s a step in the right direction.  
> So, how is it so far?  
> I’m sure I’ll have another chapter up later today..


	5. Seeing Is Believing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus and Alec reach an understanding; and Magnus Meets Izzy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
>  ** _Okay So:_** There is kind of a lot in this chapter-
> 
> Also I know there really isn’t a lot of Simon and Raphael because I wanted to focus on Magnus and Alec a bit; I basically just send them out of the room and go right on ahead…
> 
> We’ll just say that they wanted to go be all sweet and cute together; or they wanted to give Magnus and Alec some time to talk
> 
> Or, you know- they could have **_actually_** been working _, I guess_
> 
>  

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

Magnus and Raphael arrived at the station, quickly spotting Simon and Alec near Alec’s desk, going over some files.  As they approached Simon glanced up and spotted them, giving a cheery smile and a slightly dorky, over eager, wave.

 

“Hey guy! So you’re on the case after all; that is really great, I’m so glad I get to work a case with you. I’m sure with all of us we’ll have this figured out in no time.”

 

Raphael smiled and settled in next to his, _very adorable_ , boyfriend.

 

“Yeah, great” Alec muttered with a bit of an eye roll

 

“Raphael, I was getting ready to go over to the crime lab. They finished with the photos from the scene. They emailed copies, but the original physical photos just seem better to work with. Do you want to come with me to pick them up??” Simon asked with sweet bright smile.

 

Raphael nodded, glancing over at Magnus and Alec,

 

“Sure...you guys can keep civil for a few a few minutes, right?”

 

“Yes, of course we can, darling”

 

Alec just shrugged, Raphael took that as a yes, slipping in next to his boyfriend, heading out the door.

 

“They really are _annoyingly_ sweet together, aren’t they?” Magnus said with a fond eye roll

 

Once again, Alec just shrugged, continuing to focus on the file he was reading. Magnus was undeterred however. He put on his brightest smile perching on the corner of Alec’s desk. Alec glanced up and gave him a, rather unimpressed, raised eyebrow

 

“You do know there is a seat, like, right there, on _that_ side of the desk, right?”

 

Magnus nodded giving him a slight shrug,

 

“Yes, darling, this is quite alright.”

 

He leaned in closer, so as to see the folder as well, of course... not for any other reason.

 

“Whatever, look, Magnus, I’m going to be honest. I don’t want to work this case with you; I don’t trust you. I think you’re playing us, that this is all a game for you, a hobby or something to keep you entertained. But for me, this is what I have worked my entire life for. I have no idea how, exactly you found that evidence, but I _sure as hell_ don’t believe for a second that a _cat_ told you.

 

The chief put you on this case, against my advice and _many_ valid arguments, so I will work the case with you, I will share whatever evidence we find with you and I will not _actively_ shut you out of it. However, you need to know; what you do on this case, it affects all of us. It effects the department, and it could cost Luke his job.

 

So _please_ ; just try to be as professional as possible.”

 

He looked up, locking eyes with Magnus, and almost wished he hadn’t. Magnus leveled a look at him that he’d not seen, and in a _very_ measured, rather cold, tone began,

 

“I do know that, **_detective_**. I am quite aware what is dependent on this; I have just as much at stake with this as you. This is my first, official case with the department. I know that this is the benchmark to which whatever else I can do will be judged; the defining factor in whether or not there even will be any other cases. I am under no illusion as to its significance, or to the gravity of the situation.

 

 In addition to all of that; this is the investigation into a man’s death. That, in and of itself, is enough to take this seriously. I know what you think of me; that you don’t particularly want me here, you don’t particularly like me here, or maybe even just in general, and you really think that I don’t belong anywhere near this precinct.

 

But, _dear_ ; as you have stated, it is not your decision, it is the chiefs. So, _With all_ ** _due_** _respect_ … you really need to just get over whatever personal little hang ups you have about me and work the case, as will I.”

 

_Woah…_

_T-that was…_

_Umm…wow…_

 

Alec was shocked, somewhat intimidated, and a few other things that he refused to address or dwell on right this second as they really weren’t work appropriate.

 

 _That_ _tone_ , and the gravity of what he was saying; it did not seem like the quirky, vivacious, overly flirtatious, guy that he’d took Magnus to be. He’d seen a bit of his temper when he’d been angry at Dax, but this?

This was completely different.

 

It wasn’t anger, or an outburst; he had laid out the facts plainly, and in a way that, Alec _knew_ , was completely truthful. It made him think that maybe Garroway was right about there being more to the guy then what you see. He still didn’t believe the ‘psychic’ thing… but for probably the first time since meeting him he really wondered what this man could do.

 

He took a deep breath, shaking his head faintly,

 

“Look, Magnus _, I-_ I’m sorry _._ I think I was a bit out of line. I really don’t know you; I have no idea what your motivations for being here are. I had _assumed_ it was just some kind of game to you, a way to pass the time. But if it’s not, if you genuinely want to work with us, with me…

 

If you really just want to help with cases, and are going to take this seriously? I still don’t believe the psychic thing; I doubt I ever will… but if you can help close cases, if you can find things that others miss?

 

I may not like or approve or, hell even _understand_ , for that matter, your methods… but, if they end up getting results?

 

That’s different.

 

I’m not going to turn down real evidence just because it comes from a somewhat unusual source- no matter how _unusual_ said source may be.”

 

He chanced a look back at Magnus. He was smiling slightly; not the bright, cheery, overly flirtatious one Alec saw nearly every time he saw the guy. This one seemed far more real.

 

“My, my, _Alexander_ ; you really are just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

 

Alec blushed a bit

 

“Uh, a-actually I usually do just go by Alec. My parents are really the only ones that call me, that.”

 

Magnus chuckled, getting a playful, impish grin,

 

“Well not anymore, I am really quite partial to it; it suits you so very well.”

 

“Not really… it just always seems awkward and overly complicated. Also generally the only time I hear it is when my parents are disappointed in me… so… yeah...” he kind of trailed off

 

“Well I suppose I am simply going to have to change that, won’t I?”

 

Alec shook his head quickly; he _knew_ he was blushing even more. He just couldn’t really help it. He never really blushed or got flustered…not usually anyways… but Magnus just seemed to have a knack for it.

 

“Do you know what it means, by any chance?” Magnus asked curiously

 

“No, not really” Alec shrugged, glancing up at him,

 

Magnus gave him a soft, warm smile,

 

“It means ‘great protector’. I actually believe it fits you quite well”

 

“I-I that, _umm_ , that’s really-” Alec started,

 

His phone buzzed with a text;

 

_He’d never been so grateful to be interrupted in his life._

 

“Th-umm, that was the M.E., the preliminary report is in. Why don’t we head down?”

 

Magnus beamed hopping lightly up off the desk, giving him a playful smirk,

 

“Wonderful, _**Alexander**_ ”

 

_Alec tried to walk faster than Magnus so he wouldn’t see how brightly he was blushing._

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

The M.E.’s office was located in the basement of the precinct, along with the morgue. When Magnus was younger, when his dad would bring him, he and Raphael used to dare each other to go down there. Neither of them would make it more than ten feet from the elevator before rushing back in. It was so stark and bright, but void and dead silent. It always reminded Magnus of a beginning scene of a horror movie; it just felt weird, like you were just waiting for the jump scare.

 

As if the place itself wasn’t bad enough, there was the Medical Examiner, _Benton_. Magnus never really caught the guys first name, or last name, whichever. He was tall and really skinny with receding hair and almost birdlike features. He and Raphael had been convinced for almost a year the guy was a vampire.

 

_Magnus really kind of hoped he’d retired by now._

 

Magnus glanced over at Alec next to him, he’d gotten his blushing under control, much to Magnus’s dismay, and was back to looking like the embodiment of professionalism that he usually did. Magnus really wasn’t sure what to think of the guy.

 

He had been standoffish and seemed like that most of the time. However every now and then he would say something with so much sincerity, so much conviction, that it would just completely throw Magnus. He’d seen it before; when he’d been apologizing to the detective about the fiasco with Dax.

 

He had assumed that Alec was upset about being outed. He’d been sure that the man would of put his career above almost all else; that he’d of hidden his preferences in order to make it easier for him to advance in law enforcement. It rather shocked him to know that the uptight detective actually wasn’t ashamed of it, just had a very matter of fact attitude towards his sexuality. It was actually rather refreshing, not being able to figure out everything.

 

Not knowing what to expect.

 

That hardly ever happened with him…

 

He was pulled from his musings when the elevator signaled their arrival at the basement. They slipped in past the M.E.s office. Glancing in Magnus noticed a few changes. It didn’t seem quite so stuffy. Everywhere there seemed to be small, subtle, personal touches; a few photos, a small, brightly colored sculpture and a lovely designer purse sitting on the desk.

_So, they had a new Medical Examiner._

 

 A woman; probably fairly young, and, judging by the bag, with _excellent_ taste. He was rather curious to meet her. They wandered in to the autopsy room, and Magnus came up short.

 

This woman, most definitely, did not look like an M.E;

 

He liked her already.

 

She was fairly tall, and absolutely stunning; with what looked like rather long, raven colored hair pulled into a tight, fashionable updo. She had gorgeous, though somewhat familiar features, and a beautiful figure accentuated by her outfit.

 

The woman was wearing a tailored, very fashionable black top with a well fitted, extremely high quality brilliant red skirt accented with sheer black nylons decorated with a rather intricate rose motif and red stilettos with heels that looked so sharp they could probably qualify as lethal weapons.

 

 _He liked her_ _**a lot.**_

 

A quick glance and he realized why her features seemed so familiar; this _had_ to be Alec’s sister. She turned flashing them a beautiful smile.

 

“Hey detectives, I got you’re results.”

 

Magnus steps forward, giving his most charming smile right back

 

“Hello, Ms. Lightwood, Magnus Bane; I’m the psychic detective assisting on the case. It is delightful to meet you.”

 

She seems somewhat surprised, casting a glance at Alec, raising her eyebrow questioningly,

 

“Don’t look at me, I didn’t tell him” Alec said, seemingly disappointed

_Ah_ , it had been a bit of a test; that Magnus had passed

 

Magnus turned back to her with a bright smile,

 

“Well, aren’t you _just_ _gorgeous_?”

 

“Must run in the family” Magnus adds, with an obviously appreciative, somewhat long look over at Alec

 

Alec blushes, and rolls his eyes

__

_**Success!** _

 

“Isabelle Lightwood, please, call me Izzy. It really is a pleasure to meet you. My brother did not say how hot you were.”

 

Magnus chuckled raising his eyebrow,

 

“Why, thank you, Darling…He talks about me?”

 

“ _ **Complains**_ , I _complain_ about you- Big difference” Alec interjects

 

Magnus smirks,

 

“I knew you were thinking about me” he added with a wink

 

Alec blushed brighter, glaring

 

“Oh, you have _got_ to stay around!” Izzy exclaimed

 

“Thanks, sweetheart, I plan to. By the way I love your shoes.”

 

“That’s so sweet! You’re eyeliner is Amazing _;_ I'm jealous” Izzy pouts, playfully,

 

“I can never get it that perfect”

 

“Aww…Why, thank you darling; you are just absolutely _delightful._ Your makeup is lovely too by the way. Hey, is that the new Vampire Kiss red from Sephora? I thought they weren't getting it in for a few more weeks?”

 

Izzy grins

 

“Well, _technically_ , they’re not… but they got a few samples in early and one of the girls there has a major crush on me, so she gave me one of them.”

 

Magnus laughed brightly,

 

“Oh, I like you _a lot_!”

 

“Same” she agrees, with a nod, before turning, sending a fake glare towards her brother,

 

“ _ **Alec**_ , why didn’t you introduce us sooner?” She demands, swatting him on the shoulder

 

“Huh, can’t imagine why” He mutters sarcastically

 

Magnus chuckles, Izzy rolls her eyes, turning Back to him,

 

“My brother isn’t giving you a hard time, is he?”

__

_**“Hey!”** _

__

Magnus chuckles, shaking his head,

 

“Oh no….not at all, he’s really quite fun.”

 

She scoffs playfully,

 

“He’s really _not_. but it’s sweet of you to say.”

 

“Can we please get back to the case… _please_ ; or at least stop insulting me?”

 

Magnus and Izzy both rolled their eyes; it’s eerily similar and Alec had a very bad feeling he was really going to regret them meeting.

 

“Oh, fine. Take all the fun out of it.” Izzy sighed, but then immediately switched to a professional tone

 

“The preliminary report shows that he died of an overdose of his heart medication.”

 

“Which _could_ be a suicide, right?” Alec asked

 

She shook her head hesitantly,

 

“ _Technically_ yes? But I don’t think so. His blood tests show nearly five times the prescribed dose; it is a very powerful medication, twice the dose would have killed him. To get this level he would have had to take around twenty pills; he could have taken them all at once, but I don’t see the evidence to support that.

 

 I only see remnants of three pills, which is the recommended daily dose.”

 

“Also there were only twelve pills missing from the bottle, and it was filled four days ago, which would be right on track” Magnus added, then froze

 

Both the Lightwoods were staring at him

 

“And you know that, _how?_ ” Alec asked

 

“Psychic, _My Darling Detective_ , I do keep telling you” he tried putting on his most convincing smile

 

“Uh, huh” Alec says suspiciously, raising his eyebrow

 

Izzy looked vaguely impressed, and a bit of something else when she glanced between the two.

 

“Anyways, you were right Magnus; there weren’t enough pills missing for that.” she shook her head, glancing back at the initial report from the scene.

 

“Also, it just doesn’t really make sense; there were other types of pills at the scene as well. There was an entire bottle of sleeping pills and a nearly full one of pain pills that were from about a month ago. Both would have been much more likely for a suicide.”

 

Magnus thought a moment

 

“Hmm…what if it wasn’t the amount of the pills, but the dosage?”

 

“What do you mean?” Izzy asked, tilting her head curiously

 

Magnus shrugged faintly,

 

“Well, what if he _thought_ he was taking the right medication… _and he **was**_ , but it was just a much higher dosage?”

 

“That...That’s actually really good. I’ll test the rest of the pills and get back to you guys, but that would actually line up perfectly with what I have and clear up a lot of the questions.”

 

“Very impressive work, Detective” Izzy smiled, with a slight nod

 

Magnus grinned back. They began chattering happily again about something or the other…

 

Alec couldn’t really seem to hear them though,

 

He just stared, somewhat dumbfounded; feeling like he was truly **_seeing_** Magnus for the first time.

_It was kind of a breathtakingly amazing sight_

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **_Sorry_** to leave off there; but I really like how this is going so far.
> 
> Simon and Raphael will be in this, but they may fall to the background for this a bit so I have more focus on Magnus and Alec.
> 
> (Just FYI, the ideas I have for the next two stories will focus on Simon and Raphael kind of a lot)
> 
> (did I mention this series has pretty much overtaken my mind?)
> 
> _By the way; I know absolutely nothing about forensics or any of that- I am basically just piecing stuff together from random moments from CSI and other cop shows, trying to throw in enough terminology to make my crazy case seem to actually make sense._


	6. More than Meets the eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec's realizes a few things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter is kinda just Alec pretty much just contemplating Magnus ( _It’s a very complicated subject, okay?)_
> 
> Also, I have just randomly decided that whenever I need a filler kinda character I’m just gonna pick names who’s meaning’s make me laugh (I found a list online)
> 
> I named the Victim from the Case; Curtis Orson
> 
> Curtis- Curly Haired
> 
> Orson- Like a Bear
> 
> (This may just seem funny to me because it’s like 1am, but I find it entertaining)

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

They’d got back from meeting with Izzy about an hour ago. Magnus was eager to go back over the files; he'd suggested they call Raphael and Simon and give them an update. Raphael had said that he knew a few of the doctors on his route ( _apparently, when he’s not working as an assistant to a ‘psychic’ he was a pharmaceutical rep…_ _go figure_ ) that prescribed that particular brand of heart medication and he could talk to them about how easy it would be to get a dose the level that would line up with their working theory-

 

 Izzy was still checking the pills, but she seemed pretty confident that Magnus’s hypothesis would pan out.  

 

They were at his desk now- Magnus, _once again_ , perched on the edge, as if that’s just his designated seat- going over the files, sorting through the victim, Curtis Orson’s, personal history, trying to make a list of suspects.

 

Alec was trying to focus, but he just couldn’t. His mind just kept wandering back to Magnus. He felt like his entire world view had just sort of shifted.

 

He had vaguely known Magnus for about three weeks now; having only really spoken to the man, maybe a little over a dozen times. With the exception of the confrontation with his ex-partner, the man just seemed to be little more than a bright, flamboyant, overly excitable, extroverted, flirt. He seemed remarkably interesting and completely unique…he truly seemed like a genuinely kind, if somewhat overly affectionate, person. He was _**obviously**_ very confident and self-assured, to a level that, in truth, was more than a bit intimidating.

 

Alec had been honest with Luke when he’d said that had he met the man literally _anywhere_ other than at work it would be completely different.

 

Magnus was easily one of, if not the _most_ , dazzlingly gorgeous person Alec had ever seen…and Alec kind of figured the guy knew that damn good and well. Everything about him seemed to be specifically designed to call attention. Everything was bright, sparkly, dramatic, eye catching, and just in general, completely distracting.

 

When he’d first seen the guy in the station, he’d _assumed_ that he was looking for the vice department because… _well_ … he couldn’t fathom why else someone who looked like _**that**_ would be wasting their time hanging around a police precinct.

 

It threw him when Magnus called out Dax, when he ran the guy down; going over every flaw, every issue, all the things that, really he, _himself_ , had just sort of overlooked or brushed to the side.

 

Calling out their affair had shocked Alec as well, completely catching him off guard. But at the same time _none_ of it was exactly a well regarded secret. Dax’s overreaching goals, inflated ego and propensity for taking credit were somewhat blatantly obvious ( _you know_ , _when you weren’t **dating**_ _the guy_ ).

 

As far as their relationship, Alec had made a point of telling Luke himself, not wanting to seem like he was trying to get something over on his new boss. He knew a few of the more perceptive officers had picked up on it, though most of them didn’t comment, they _had_ known. Alec had _assumed_ , after the initial shock wore off, that Magnus simply must have had some kind of source in the precinct.

 

It just made the most sense.

 

 After all, the man was absolutely gorgeous, flirtatious and _ridiculously_ charming; it would stand to reason that he could have gotten information from _someone_ easily enough. Up until this point, that was all he’d really thought Magnus was. Little more than a charming, flirtatious, possibly somewhat manipulative, club owner with too much time on his hands, looking for a new hobby.

 

He’d just assumed that he was playing a game; he’d half thought that once they were working a real case, once the initial thrill had worn off and the actual _work_ began he’d just give up and leave, go find something else to pass the time.

 

He shook his head

_Alec _really_ needed to stop making assumptions._

 

He began to wonder just how much of that was for show, how much was a mask, a cover. How much of the flamboyance, dazzle and charm was a way to distract from the deeper, more complicated characteristics.

 

Alec realized, once he stopped focusing just on what he _saw_ of the guy, once he got past all the bright, glittering, distractions, there was a _lot_ more to the man than he’d initially thought. Magnus was fearless, very intelligent, fiercely determined, and _perceptive _as hell__.

 

He was beginning to realize that the chief may have been right in his assessment of Magnus.

 

He also realized he never really apologized for their first meeting.

 

Alec had never been one to simply ignore a problem or mistake and hope they go away or are forgotten. He’d rather just face it, rather than waiting and wondering. If they were going to work together; and judging by the conviction in Magnus’s tone when he’d addressed Alec’s criticisms earlier, they would be, Alec wanted to deal with it.

 

“Hey, Magnus?” he started

 

He tilted his head faintly, eyebrow raising, still absently scanning the report.

 

“ _Hmm_ , did you find something already?”

 

“Umm...No it’s not that. I-I kind of wanted to apologize.”

 

Magnus looked up from the report, giving him a faintly confused expression

 

“You already did, darling, earlier…” he shrugged giving a dismissive wave

 

“It really is quite alright. We are all entitled to our opinions after all… and I know what you’ve seen of me as of yet hasn’t exactly shown me to be a model of professionalism. You were merely assuring that a murder case was handled with the dignity and professionalism that it deserves…there is no need to apologize for that.” Magnus smiled, reassuringly

 

Alec shook this head, leaning a bit closer

 

“No, not for that; for the first time we met. I never actually apologized for it, and I really should have.” Alec explained

 

Magnus gave a soft, curious smile, shaking his head faintly

 

“What on earth brought that up?”

 

“Well… I-I’d made a mistake, I insulted you; _unintentionally_ , but still. It’s just… if we’re going to be working together I’d really rather address it.”

 

Magnus chuckled softly, with a very kind smile

 

“Darling, it's fine; really, it's hardly the worst thing someone's said about me, _or_ ** _to_** _me_ , for that matter.”

 

He shrugged a bit, like it was nothing

 

“Still …I really am sorry about it.”

 

Magnus shook his head faintly, with a warm smile,

 

“My darling detective, as I said, it really _is_ fine, no harm done. You are a good man who had a slight misstep- after the fact it really was quite amusing _. Raphael laughed so much when I told him he could barley breathe_!

 

I have never really been one for dwelling on innocent mistakes. I know how I look, how I put myself together; it has a tendency to throw people. I doubt you're the first person to think that, you _probably_ won't be the last.”

 

Alec frowned slightly, curious but almost feeling as if he was overstepping his bounds. He leaned a bit closer, tilting his head slightly,

 

“Well, then, not to be rude or anything…but, why do you do it? I mean, not that you don't look good or anything, _you do_ ; I-It’s just, it seems like a _lot_ of work…and if it causes problems for you, then why?”

 

Magnus smiles, with a faint shrug,

 

“Because _I_ like it. It’s how I’m most comfortable. It's not really 'work'. To me it’s really quite fun. I like playing with colors and styles, jewelry and bright colors. I enjoy makeup because it’s fun, it's pretty, and in actuality the entire process is rather calming and grounds me. Getting dressed in the morning is usually one of my favorite parts of the day; it starts me out on a relaxed, positive note, it centers me.

 

It just makes me _happy_. Simple as that.”

 

Pausing a moment, he tilts his head, smirking a bit,

 

“Besides, it also does tend to be a rather immediate way to gauge what kind of person someone truly is.”

 

“Y-Yeah, guess it would…”- Alec said, quietly, glancing down somewhat guiltily,

 

Magnus smiled warmly, leaning in, lightly resting his hand on Alec's arm,

 

“ _Alexander_ , you thought I was some kind of escort: you were helpful, polite, and respectful. You didn't look down on me, didn't treat me as if I was in any way _less_ than anyone else. That really **_does_** say quite a lot about you…Very few people in general; law enforcement members in particular, are so magnanimous regarding such things.

 

It _did_ tell me quite a lot about you, but, I assure you, all very good, very impressive-"

 

They were interrupted by both their phones chiming, signaling a text,

 

Magnus looked down at it brightening,

 

“Oh, it's you're lovely, charming sister- she says she found something interesting”

 

He hopped up off the desk and strides quickly towards the elevator. Alec trailed behind, even more stunned than before.

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Izzy was waiting for them in her office when they exited the elevator. As they entered she looked up with a beaming smile, moving towards them.

 

“You we’re right Magnus, the pills were a much stronger dosage than that prescribed to him. That was a really exceptional catch…I may have actually missed that one.”

 

Magnus shook his head,

 

“Thank you darling, I do appreciate the compliment, but really it was just an idea. I’m sure you would have came to the same conclusion.”

 

She shrugged with a  slight smirk,

 

“Well…you’re right, I probably would have, I _am_ good… but I wouldn’t have gotten to it nearly as quickly, really great catch.”

 

Alec had to do a double take, Magnus looked pleased, and slightly stunned by the praise. He actually seemed to be blushing slightly.  It kind of struck Alec that he’d never seen the guy like this; humble, even bordering on modest.

 

 _He _most definitely__ _had never seen Magnus_ **_blush_** …

 

 He’d kind of thought the guy was incapable of being flustered or really anything other than overly confident and self assured. It was _yet another_ surprising, intriguing quality to add to what was already becoming a rather long list regarding the man. Alec was beginning to think he may be in trouble here.

 

The thing with Dax… it’d just happened; it was really a matter of convenience more so than anything else. He was always around and his confidence was appealing- _well..._  when it wasn’t so overblown at least. Alec knew it’d been a mistake, realized it nearly as soon as they broken up. It’d seemed like the moment they did everything really became unbelievably obvious to Alec; he’d never admit it to Magnus, but he was rather grateful to him for helping him lose the blinders that he’d developed and get him to really see just how much he was brushing off.

 

One thing he did take away from the relationship was a strong determination **_not_** to repeat it. He didn’t want to have to deal with that kind of drama again at work. It had been completely unprofessional; totally out of character for him, he really had no idea what he’d been thinking. Right then and there he’d pretty much decided to completely separate his personal and professional lives; exactly the way it should be.

 

It had seemed a solid idea. Didn’t seem like it’d even be an issue; there wasn’t anyone at the station that he’d been even remotely interested in-

 

_Which probably also explained the Dax thing a bit, come to think of it…_

 

He’d figured keeping the two separate would be pretty simple. He was set; making the decision almost the second Dax went to turn in his resignation. It was smart, straightforward, and the most logical, reasonable decision. It was perfectly clear that he never should have tried mixing work and his personal life…and he was determined not to make the same mistake again…

 

Then Magnus had come over, perched on his desk, and _cheerfully_ informed him that ‘ _they’d be working together_ ,’ and ‘ _wouldn’t it be just **wonderful**_?’

 

_Yeah…wonderful…_

 

He was trying to focus on the ‘psychic’ thing, the lie. He was attempting to convince himself it was something he would not be able to get past. He was absolutely certain the man wasn’t psychic; that meant he was defrauding the department. He was lying to all of them. He had to be. Alec was **_really_** trying to hold on to the disapproval of that…But the thing of it was... it seemed to be getting harder and harder to hold onto.

 

Because, while he _may_ be lying about what it was, where the evidence was coming from; there was no denying that the man had **_something_** pretty remarkable. He almost wished he could believe the ‘psychic’ thing…

 

That nearly seemed like the less daunting option.

 

Alec shook his head clearing his thoughts and tuning back in on Izzy and Magnus’s conversation… which, he just realized, he missed quite a bit of…as in pretty much all of it since they appeared to be wrapping things up and were, apparently, making plans to meet for brunch and a shopping trip on Izzy’s next day off.

_Great_ _, his sister seemed to adore him already; as if he didn’t have enough reasons to like the guy._

 

“Well, it really was lovely to see you again my dear, and thank you so much for all the information” Magnus leaned over, giving Izzy a light kiss on the cheek, which she returned.

 

Alec was beginning to think that he was kind of screwed…

 

“It really should prove quite helpful in narrowing down the suspect, isn’t that right, Alexander?”

 

“Umm… y-yeah, definitely” Alec agreed, mentally kicking himself for his inattention

 

_Not only was this thing with Magnus complicated and problematic…_

_It was now actually interfering with his work…_

_Yeah, Alec was **definitely** screwed._

 

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They’re will be more actual story progression in the next chapter, I promise!
> 
>  


	7. Musing Magnus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We are inching closer to the case, and Magnus meets another of Alec’s siblings
> 
> _( he doesn’t like this one as much)_
> 
> **_**Also, in case you missed it I DID add a second part to the previous chapter**_ **

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Magnus felt like he was flying.

 

_He was actively working a current case, as a detective!_

 

He’d wanted that most of his life, before he'd realized who he was just really didn’t line up with what people expected for someone in that field. He had assumed he would have to put that dream aside; then this happened. He had just fell into this amazing opportunity…He still had no idea how everything just aligned so perfectly to get him this chance, but he wasn’t about to pass it up.

 

 Earlier today, after the cat fiasco, he had been worried that he went too far, that he’d lost the chance. It had absolutely shocked him when Raphael told him they were assigned to the case.

 

 From the first time he saw Isabelle, he knew she’d be a wonderful ally in the department. He figured a gorgeous young woman in stylish clothes and high heels with a career in law enforcement and medicine had more than a few issues, idiotic comments, and obnoxious, sexist stereotypes to deal with. He faced many of the same opinions and assumptions. Up until that point, he’d been somewhat worried that this opportunity would, once again, be lost, simply because of those tired, outdated, ignorant attitudes.

 

 He knew he could do it, had been doing so with his anonymous types for years…

_But trying to get others to see that, to take him seriously, to actually accept the information, knowing the source?_  

 

 That was another matter entirely.

 

 He wasn’t naive; he knew a lot of people who saw him, talked to him, simply wrote him off as a flamboyant, kind of over the top, character. Fun and entertaining, to be sure, but not really with a whole lot of depth and complexities.

 

 It was nothing new; he’d actually play that up at times, when someone really irritated him. Letting them just talk and talk, seeing exactly how stupid and ignorant the person was. When he’d see that they we’re bluffing, that they were completely clueless, but determined to seem so smart; that was the most entertaining…

 

 He made a bit of a game of that; asking questions, seeming so interested, so impressed by their ‘knowledge’, seeing just how much of a fool they’d make of themselves.  Then, just before he left casually correcting all the errors they’d made, leaving them stunned.

 

When Izzy had complimented him, praised him on his work; calling him ‘detective’, he’d just been amazed. For the first time it really seemed like he would be allowed to achieve something that’d been a dream for most of his life.

 

His conversation with Alexander had been quite uplifting as well. His criticisms had been rather harsh, but at the same time Magnus was rather grateful for the honesty. While he could tell what someone thought of him, having someone be that up front about it was much more preferable.

 

 He’d been stunned when the detective had apologized, and his affirmation that he would accept whatever information Magnus came up with, _that he would take it seriously,_ absolutely floored him.  The most amazing part of it was he knew, without a doubt, that he was being completely sincere. With the two Lightwoods in his corner Magnus was really beginning to think this he had a shot at this.

 

 He glanced over at Alec; he really was something else. Shaking away the thought, before he got lost, yet again, Magnus decided they really should get back to the case.

 

“I’ll text Raphael and Simon, let them know the new information. Perhaps they can find where the pills came from” he offered, glancing over at the other man,

 

 Alec seemed to startle faintly, like he was as lost in his own head as Magnus

 

“Hmm?” he asked, distractedly

 

Magnus tilted his head, shrugging faintly,

 

“Well, as you’re darling sister said; the medication is not even made in that high of a dose, but they are identical to the ones that should have been in the bottle. They we’re almost certainly produced by a pharmaceutical company; Raphael knows quite a few of the doctors and many of the reps from the companies around here. I am quite confident that he will be able to find out where they came from.”

 

Alec nodded quickly,

 

“Oh, that’s a good idea; hopefully he can get some kind of information…though, I get the feeling he’s pretty good at that, so it shouldn’t be too much of an issue.”

 

 Magnus chuckles

 

“You are most certainly right about that”

 

Alec raised his eyebrow curiously at the inflection,

 

“We'll that seems li-"

 

Alec trails off with a groan looking through the open elevator doors. Magnus follows his gaze, trying  to see what had caught his attention… _and, seemingly managed to annoy him in less than a second_.

 

 A man was leaning against Alec’s desk. he was a bit shorter than Alec with _very_ blonde, kind of over-styled hair. He looks to be in pretty good shape and was wearing fairly trendy, expensive, distressed dark blue jeans with a rather overly fitted black shirt, also designer. Relatively attractive…not really Magnus’s type… _like at all…_ but fairly good looking, though he seems to have a cocky, overly confident air to him that rather detracted from whatever physical attributes he had.

 

He was currently chatting with a somewhat pretty young uniformed officer. The girl is virtually beaming, blushing, practically _fawning_ over the guy. Magnus knew him from somewhere, it just took him a second to place him.

 

Tilting his head as recognition dawned, he glanced over at Alec,

 

 "Hmm…Isn’t that that annoying, over hyped jackass actor from that stupid, cheesy cop show?"

 

Alec gave a surprised laugh, nodding quickly,

 

 "Yeah, it is…but that's kinda long, I usually just call him Jace, makes family get together’s easier" he gave a bit of a playful grin.

 

  _Magnus felt like his heart stutter a bit_

 

  _Wow_ , _he really wanted to see that smile again_ , _a lot more_ -

 

 _It was even better than the_ _**blushing!**_

 

 "He's my brother, _adopted_ brother. That's why we don't really look anything alike" Alec explained with a faint shrug

 

"Well, thank goodness for that." Magnus muttered,

 

"He must be _so_ jealous of you"

 

 Alec gave a surprised chuckle, shaking his head

 

 "Not likely; I doubt Jace has ever been jealous of anyone, least of all me. To hear him talk he's the best actor of the modern age and god's gift to both women and men everywhere."

 

 Magnus rolled his eyes, giving a rather abrupt laugh

 

Alec grinned, brushing his hair back slightly, shaking his head a bit,

 

 "No, he really is great; I mean…Nowhere near as great as he _thinks_ he is, of course… but good, if a bit annoying. He comes in a lot to get tips for his character, also to shamelessly flirt with basically anyone that glances his way.”

 

 Alec give’s a bit of a sheepish, half smile

 

  _Magnus feels like he can’t breathe_

 

 “I kind of feel like I should apologize in advance before he gets here."

 

Magnus chuckles slightly, shaking his head

 

“Well, while I do appreciate the warning…it is hardly needed. He is most definitely _**not**_ my type”

 

Alec seemed surprised by that. He begins to say more, but Jace had spotted them and was moving to greet them,

 

“Hey, Alec, How’s my favorite older brother today?”

 

Alec rolls his eyes in exasperation,

 

“Jace, I’m you’re only older brother”

 

“Still…hey, who’s your friend?” He asked giving Magnus a pretty obvious once over and a really phony, overly self assured, smile.

 

_Yeah, this sibling of Alec’s? Not that much of a fan_

 

“Magnus Bane, I’m the psychic detective currently assisting your _very_ charming brother with a case.”

 

He gave a somewhat dismissive laugh

 

_Yeah, not a fan **at all**_

“That’s cool, I guess, so what can you tell about _me_?”

 

Magnus gave a slightly devious smile;

 

  _Oh_ _, he was_ _**really**_ _hoping he’d asked that._

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

_Okay, this was ether going to be really _entertaining_ , or really _bad_._

When Alec had spotted Jace, he’d briefly thought of trying to just slip out the door with Magnus and avoid him altogether. Don’t get him wrong, He loved Jace, really…but the guy was a lot to deal with sometimes.

 

 He’d come to the station to get character tips; at least that’s what he’d say, Alec kind of figured it had more to do with annoying him and flirting with any even remotely attractive person in his general vicinity. It was really _, annoyingly_ , effective and tended to cause issues…mainly for Alec. He’d, more times than he cared to remember, ended up having to field several awkward conversations with coworkers in the precinct when Jace would end up blowing them off after a while.

 

 Part of him really didn’t want Jace meeting Magnus at all.

 

  _He_ _wasn’t _going to date the guy__ , _okay_?

 

He’d decided he wasn’t going to get involved with someone else at work and he was determined to stick to it. He could deal with it…So okay… maybe he was realizing he had a small, _tiny,_ bit of a crush on Magnus. It didn’t actually mean anything; he wasn’t going to act on it.

 

 _He wasn’t_!

 

 He thought Magnus might be somewhat interested in him… _well_ , he acted like it in any case... though he did seem pretty flirty in general…maybe it was just wishful thinking on Alec’s part.

 

Almost certainly, actually.

 

He couldn’t really imagine why a guy like **_Magnus_** would be interested in _him_. He supposed he was okay looking, maybe a bit plain, but good enough. He was in good shape, and he was pretty intelligent, but other than that?

 

He was kind of boring, he worked too much, he was too serious, he knew the list; his siblings teased him about it enough.

 

 Magnus’s little comments and compliments were flattering though, he tried not to read too much into them. Even so, it was nice having a little attention-

 

 _Even if he_ _was absolutely not going to act on it_ _._

 

 However, the idea of his brother meeting Magnus, maybe _flirting_?

 

_Yeah, **no**._

 

 Everyone always preferred Jace to him, that was just the way it was. It was easy enough to see why; Jace was funny, confident, very good looking, and, it seemed, just in general more likable.  Not only that, but Jace was a fairly famous actor, anywhere they’d go he’d get requests for autographs or have people wanting to take his picture. It got really tiresome.

 

Growing up, Alec always felt like he faded into the background when his siblings were around. Now with Jace’s fame it sometimes seemed even worse than when they were in high school. No one really noticed him when Jace was around. He kind of figured if Magnus met Jace, that would be it.

 

He really didn’t think he could stand fielding all the ‘Jace’ questions from Magnus.

 

 It shocked him when Magnus was so dismissive of Jace. He’d never really heard anyone so unimpressed with the guy. When Magnus had said that Jace was most definitely not his type… that...that was something else. It kind of worried him just how happy hearing Magnus say that made him;

 

 _Once again_ , _not that anything was going to come of it, of course_.

 

Then Jace asked Magnus what he could tell about _Jace._

The smile that Magnus got was somewhat dangerous, and, okay, yeah, kind of _(really)_ hot. He had a fleeting idea to try to intervene, but a slightly guilty part of him _really_ wanted to see this.

 

 Magnus circled him, movements graceful, almost predatory, quite similar to during the ‘cat’ incident ( _not that Alec thought about that much_ ). He stopped directly in front of Jace; folded his arms, looked directly in his eyes, and _smiled_.

 

 _Oh yeah, this was going to be_ _**bad**_.

 

“You have always been looked at as the golden boy; athletic, popular, and oh so talented. You have been praised for most of your life; almost to the point of _absurdity_. You tend to be handed everything; you got the job on that show because a casting agent saw you in a bar and in all likely hood just really wanted to sleep with you.

 

You feel that people don’t take you seriously, which, to be fair, many don’t…you act as if it doesn’t affect you; it _does_. You are rather arrogant and vain, not quite to an overly obnoxious level…although you do get _extremely_ close at times.

 

You are nowhere near as intelligent as you _think_ you are, but far more so than you _seem_ … though I’d rather think you would have to be _._

 

You are somewhat self absorbed, a bit shallow, save for where your family is concerned. They genuinely do mean a great deal to you; especially your siblings. You come here to get tips from your brother because you truly admire what he has done with his life. Part of you wishes you had the tenacity to have followed that path as well, though you really don’t think you could handle that level of pressure, and you would miss the fans and acclaim.

 

How am I doing so far? ”

He raised his eyebrow

 

 Jace kind of looked like he’d been hit by a truck.

 

Magnus smirked, tilting his head, eyes sparking mischievously,

 

 “Also, you’ve been banned from Pandemonium for three years after you and a group of other idiots from that _dreadful_ show caused a scene knocking over an entire shelf of glassware.”

 

 “Okay, that totally wasn’t my fault” Jace started, regaining some of his composure, he still looked a bit out of sorts though.

 

“We were just having drinks and it got slightly out of hand”

 

 “ _You climbed on the bar_ ”

 

 “Okay, but, only because one of them bet me I wouldn’t. It wasn’t really _that_ big of a deal, I even paid for the damage. The owner must just be really uptight or something”

 

 Alec couldn’t quite keep in a laugh

 

“Somehow I doubt he’s ever been called that.”

 

Magnus grinned back at him with a playful wink,

 

 “That’s quite true, darling; it would most definitely be a first”

 

 Jace looked confused, glancing between the two of them.

 

“What am I missing?”

 

Magnus scoffed, raising his eyebrow,

 

“Really, sweetie, we simply do not have the time to make that long of list; we are in the middle of a murder case after all… time is somewhat of the essence”

 

 Alec tried to cover his chuckle, it didn’t work so well.

 

“Magnus; stop, please- I think you’ve insulted him enough for today”

 

 _“_ Oh, but it’s SO easy” Magnus huffed playfully, with a fake pout, perching on the edge of Alec’s desk, giving him an overly exaggerated pleading look

 

 It was _absolutely_ NOT cute,

 

_Not at all_

 

Alec rolled his eyes, shaking his head before turning back to his brother

 

“Jace, _Magnus_ is the owner of Pandemonium”

 

Jace was looking at him with a curious look, kind of surprised and slightly scheming.

 

_Uh oh…_

 

That look never leads anywhere good. Jace turned to Magnus putting on his most charming smile

 

“So, that was a kinda cool trick, though you’re way off, but it was pretty convincing. Had me pretty good for a second.”

 

“No trick dear, just my abilities”

 

“Sure, okay. What are the lotto numbers for this week?"

 

Magnus rolled his eyes

 

“It doesn’t really work like that; I can pick up things, sense things, feelings and emotions. I can get a vague idea what someone is thinking, but I don’t actually hear their thoughts, I can’t actually see the future, just some of the more likely outcomes; it gives me slight impressions and clues, but not a straight forward, black and white, answer.

 

 I’m a psychic, not a magic 8 ball.”

 

Alec snickered a bit

 

Jace got a really shifty smile

 

Alec stopped laughing

 

“So what do your ‘ _abilities’_ tell you about Alec?”

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I am finally done with this chapter, I don't know so much about this one, but I need to move on


	8. partnerships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus tells what he really thinks of Alec, and there is something nearing the actual Case

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so just FYI, Jace is kinda going to come off as more of a jackass than usual in this chapter- he isn’t, this is just his obnoxious way of pushing Alec and Magnus together, because he can see Alec is interested.

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

_That loud, obnoxious, over styled, **jackass!**_

 

 Magnus really did not care for this ‘Jace’. He was insufferable and arrogant and he was really regretting being so easy on him in his ‘reading’. Asking him what his abilities told him about Alec?

 

_Right in front of him!?_

It almost seemed cruel. He hadn’t taken Jace for that kind of person, hoping that his motives for being this callous towards his own brother were more good natured than what it appeared.

 

Alec nervously shook his head,

 

 “You know we really need to get back to work, Jace. And he is actually working on a case, this isn’t some kind of parlor trick or side show” Alec tried desperately, shooting Jace an aggravated look before turning back to Magnus was an apologetic, somewhat worried, expression

 

“You really don’t have to Magnus…you can just ignore him, it’s usually the best option in most cases.”

 

 Jace just smirked

_Oh, yeah, Magnus was WAY too nice in his reading_

 

 Alex almost looked scared, and rather downcast. He looked away from Magnus, was now slightly staring at his desk, avoiding looking at either of them; as if he actually thought Magnus would say anything about him unfavorable.

 

_That was simply unacceptable_

 

 Magnus had the out, but he couldn’t take it; couldn’t leave Alec looking so unsure;

 

“It really is quite alright, my darling detective, this won’t take long” He gave Alec a gentle, reassuring smile before turning to Jace.

 

 Magnus fixed him with a stare that could stop a person cold, and in a calm, calculated tone began

 

“ **Alexander** is, without a doubt, one of the best people I have ever met. He is truly one of a kind. To begin with, he is absolutely _gorgeous..._  a point which he seems completely unaware of. Which is as refreshing as it is baffling, especially when in comparison to his brother who is nowhere near as attractive, in any sense, who possesses an over-inflated ego that seems far too exaggerated to even exist outside of a cartoon villain.

 

But physical attractiveness only adds up to so much; though, I realize this may be a rather confusing concept for you to grasp, as that seems to be about 90% of _your_ personality. 

 

In addition to remarkable looks, he is courteous, thoughtful, and fiercely determined. He works far too hard and pushes himself far too much, a point that I’m sure he hears about constantly. However it’s not about notoriety or praise, he’s not focused on advancing his career, or conquest, it’s not about that…it never has been for him. It’s simply because he wants to help people.

 

 He wants to make a difference for them, to do what he can, anything and everything he can, to help them gain closure and acceptance during one of the most unsettling, turbulent, trying times they will ever encounter. To make sure those who cause pain and suffering are held accountable for their actions.

 

The reason he works so hard is simply because he cares.

 

 He is fiercely loyal to those who have earned it and without a doubt one of the least judgmental, most accepting people I have ever encountered.

 

Alexander is brave, intelligent and considerate and, while you may be a vain, shallow, self absorbed, _low rent actor_ \- The best decision you could have possibly made, so far as your ‘character’ is concerned, is getting tips from him, as he is _**everything**_ an ideal law enforcement agent should aspire to be.”

 

 Magnus looked away from Jace, all but dismissing the man, chancing a glance at Alec. He was looking down, blushing slightly. He looked shocked, totally stunned, like he couldn’t even begin to process everything he heard;

_Like he couldn’t imagine someone thinking that highly of him_.

 

Magnus could almost see the doubts of his words forming, he really couldn’t have that. He reached over, placing his hand on Alec’s shoulder gently; he waited until he looked up, meeting his eyes with a gentle smile.

 

“You really have no idea how remarkable you are, darling.”

 

Alec’s phone chirped signaling a text, effectively breaking the moment. He shook his head slightly, seemingly coming back to himself, checking the text.

 

“Oh…uh…That’s Simon; they think they’ve found the company, he asked us to meet them there”

 

“Wonderful, this should be quite helpful” Magnus smiled, before turning to Jace giving a purposely over exaggerated, phony smile

 

“It was, well, _interesting_ , meeting you… perhaps we will see each other again. We are going to a pharmaceutical company; surely they’ll have something there that can make you more tolerable.”

 

With that he turned on his heel and practically sashayed right to the door, pausing and glancing over his shoulder at Alec

 

“Alexander…come along darling, we really don’t want to keep them waiting.”

 

Alec shook his head, unable to stop the small smile, or slight chuckle. He just shrugged at Jace giving a kind of half hearted eye roll, before following him out the door.

 

Jace burst out laughing the second his brother left

 

Oh, man, Alec had it _**BAD**_!

_He had to go find Izzy_

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Raphael-Raphael-Raphael-Raphael-Raphael

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

Metamorphosis Dynamics was one of the most cutting edge Medical companies in all of Santa Barbra. They had numerous patents on products that were quite revolutionary. Simon and Raphael were waiting outside the building when Magnus and Alec arrived. Raphael hid a bit of a smile…

 

_Good, they seemed to be getting along much better._

 

He’d been hesitant to leave the two alone, half worried that he’d end up having to bail Magnus out of jail if he pulled another stunt on the Detective. Simon seemed pretty sure that they would work it out though, he seemed convinced that they would be perfect together. It was adorable that he was so optimistic, but Raphael was less certain.

 

It appeared that Simon only saw the good in people, always seeing them in the best light. He briefly wondered how it would be looking at the world like that; but quickly shook off that thought… it was just way too unsettling. It was hopelessly endearing in Simon though. He truly hoped the guy never lost that.

 

Part of him worried that people would take advantage of those wonderful qualities of Simon’s; use that sweetness and trusting nature against this wonderful, amazing, compassionate guy. He wondered if he should try to get him to see more of the bad in people, but hated the idea of diminishing any of those amazing qualities, hated the thought of being the reason he’d lose that brightness that just seemed to radiate from him.

 

Instead he decided that he would watch for those people.

 

Simon may not be quite as prepared as he would like to deal with the level of deception, maliciousness, and manipulation that some people could reach;

_But he sure as hell was._

 

Simon bounded over to greet the other two, Raphael following at a less eager pace.

 

  _“_ Hey guys! Glad you’re here, Raphael talked to some of the people on his route, this was the only company that has even been working on a stronger version of the medicine, Diga-something” he looked towards Raphael hopefully

 

Raphael couldn’t stop a smile and gentle laugh,

 

 _Really, how could anyone_ _be that cute?_

 

“Digaclorasipoxine.- it’s a medication to treat paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. It is quite effective, from what I’ve heard through colleagues and been told to tell perspective buyers. The only drawback is that the dosages tend to be rather large as you need three of the pills for even a small dose. Some people have to take upwards of five at a time, which makes it quiet expensive, so it is generally only prescribed as a last resort.”

 

He smiled and turned back to Simon allowing him to continue

 

 Simon beamed, nodding

 

“Yeah, that, anyways like Raphael said, it’s really expensive and the doses are really big, so this company is trying to make a more concentrated version. The scientist that’s working on it is in today and has agreed to talk to us…well he _wasn’t_ _going to_ , but Raphael talked to him and he change his mind, so we can go right in, he’s really convincing.”

 

 Magnus chuckled a bit, raising an eyebrow at Raphael

 

“Yes he _**is**_ that…”

 

 He just kind of shrugged back at Magnus, with a bit of a sharp smile

 

“What can I say? I can be quite persuasive when I want to be.”

 

Magnus just shook his head, with a knowing chuckle, Alec looked confused, slightly suspicious, and a bit apprehensive, like he wasn’t really sure he wanted to know… but he probably should.

 

 Simon was just his usual, cheerful, self.

 

The four of them turned and made their way into the building.

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> _Hey, **look**! Were actually getting something near the Case!_
> 
> I named the medicine [Digaclorasipoxin](https://www.drugs.com/digoxin.html)e because I had to call it something besides “The Medicine” I literally just took the name of a real heart medication and added extra letters to make it sound better, best I can do ( _hey, be happy it’s something besides a cheesy pun!_ )
> 
>  I’m _trying_ to focus, **_really_** , but my mind keeps running with the Magnus/Alec relationship building and introducing the rest of the characters.
> 
> I really love how my Simon/Raphael are turning out together, I **adore** the balance they have. I **_am_** writing Simon in a way that almost seems like he’s too naive, but he **_really isn’t;_** he’s just much more positive and optimistic than the others so it may seem like that at times. I kind of want to play with the idea that all the other three kind of feel like they need to look out for him, protect him, but beneath all the cheerfulness and optimism, he **_is_** a detective, an officer of the law, and he **_is_** capable of taking care of himself. ( _this will come up more in the next story BTW_ )
> 
> I don’t think we’re going to have too much more to go, I don’t want this to get too drug out. I think maybe three or four more chapters, tops ( at least that’s my goal)
> 
> _Anyway, how is it so far?_


	9. Raphael Is Very Talented

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We see some more of Raphael’s personality
> 
>  ** _(I_** **_LOVE how he is turning out; he is quickly passing Magnus as my favorite Character)_**
> 
> And Jace and Izzy confront Alec about Magnus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Okay, I think this may be My favorite chapter so far (this or the cat one)_

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

They went through the main doors and were immediately met with a security desk.

 

Alec sighed,

 

  _Okay…This might be _somewhat__ _difficult._

 

A fairly intimidating looking guard was sitting at the desk; He was a good few inches taller than Alec and pretty heavily muscled. The guy kind of looked like someone took a linebacker and shoved them into a security uniform. Alec began to reach for his badge expecting trouble, but Raphael just waived him off with a slight smirk.

 

“No need for that, detective; I got it.” he gave a bit of a wink

 

  _Alec was slightly scared, honestly._

 

Raphael strolled right up to the desk. When the guard looked up he gave an excited smile and quickly moved to unlock the door to the rest of the facility for them.

 

“Thank you, Harland; we really do appreciate this” Raphael said with a charming- _blatantly_ phony, smile

 

The guard- _Harland, apparently_ \- shook his head quickly, smile brightening all the more.

 

“It’s no problem, Raphael, really, _I’m SO glad I could help._ ”

 

Raphael nodded, slipping closer

 

“You _really_ have”

 

“I don’t think the doc would do anything illegal, though.”

 

Raphael shook his head

 

“Oh, we are really just covering all the bases. I know what a well maintained, secure, above board company this is… However _,_ it _is_ where the evidence has led as of yet, _so_...” he shrugged, giving a bit of a chuckle, and a rather rye, somewhat flirty smile.

 

“It really is just a formality more so than anything else. I sincerely doubt anyone could get something out of here without the security catching on. I am sure you would have picked up on anything untoward going on. We just have to follow the evidence…you understand, right?”

_Wha,-h, what the hell? The guy was freaking blushing_! _Like a **school girl,**_

 

_Alec half expected him to giggle or faint._

 

That was unsettling on _SO_ many levels.

 

He was beginning to wonder what he was getting himself into with these guys. He was, however, rather glad Raphael was on their side. Alec stepped a bit closer to Magnus, glancing over; he didn’t seem shocked by this, looked like he was trying to keep from laughing, rolling his eyes slightly, shaking his head.

 

Simon saw his look and just sort of shrugged giving a bit of a smile, like this was something he knew,

 

  _Like it was just **normal**_

 

 Alec was starting to think he may be in over his head with this group.

 

“O-okay, yeah, you’re probably right. If you need anything else, just let me know.” Harland stammered, nodded quickly.

 

Raphael shook his head giving a faint smile

 

“It is quite alright; Harland, thanks again”

 

It took him a couple tries to put in the code for the door. Alec almost felt sorry for the guy _._ As soon as the door closed, Alec turned to him,

 

“Uh, what, _exactly_ , was that?” Alec asked, raising his eyebrow

 

“Hmm, oh, he’s asked me out like _ten_ times... It’s pretty annoying, but quite useful. I’m one of the only reps that can actually get into the lab, so it really helps with my sales.”

 

Raphael just shrugged; like the fact that he could flirt his way into a highly secure medical facility was just another part of the day, same as grabbing a coffee or making a trip to the store.

_Yeah, Alec really was starting to wonder just what he may be getting himself into_

 

They made their way down the hallway to one of the labs; it had a name plate on the door reading Dr. Unwin Lombard.

 

“So, are you going to flirt with _this_ guy, too?” Alec queried, hoping it was no, that was unsettling enough once

 

 Raphael laughed, shaking his head

_“_ _Oh,_ _god_ _no_ … Dr. Lombard is a creepy, arrogant, narcissist with an attitude only matched with his ignorance. I usually bypass his office, this one is all yours, Detective.”

 

“Great, thanks” Alec muttered, rolling his eyes

 

“No problem. If you want me to try something _else_ , however, just let me know.” Raphael added causally with a sharp smile

 

“Umm, yeah, I think I got it, thanks”

 

 They walked through the door and over to a table where a man was working. Dr. Lombard was about average height, and really just looked rather bland. He had not quite blond, not quite brown hair that seemed to be thinning and graying a bit, and really thick glasses; he was not quite overweight, but not fit either; really he couldn’t be less descript if he tried.

 

Dr. Lombard looked up at them and, Whoa…that was a _really_ arrogant, condescending look.

_Okay, _yeah_ , Alec kinda got the no flirting with this guy thing._

 

 “Doctor, thank you for meeting with us, we won’t take up too much of your time” Alec started

 

“Well, it’s not like I really had a choice in the matter, did I?”

_Wow, pleasant_

 

“I do apologize for the inconvenience, but it is a murder investigation, we do need to check every available lead.” Alec explained

 

Lombard huffed, giving a condescending, disparaging look,

 

“Sure, and just what is this ‘lead’? I really am busy…just because your pushy friend there asks doesn’t mean I want to waste my whole day talking to a detective, a trainee, and, an, I don’t know what, about this nonsense. My time is rather valuable.”

 

 “Well, aren’t you just _charming_?” Magnus sassed, clearly not intimated

_Yeah, this guy was a jackass_

 

Alec glanced over at Raphael, giving a bit of a shrug. Raphael flashed a, _rather dangerous_ , smile,

 

_Alec _ **hoped**_ he didn’t regret this_

 

Raphael moved a bit closer, and took the doctors hand to shake. The grip looked rather painful.

 

“Dr. Lombard, so nice to see you; you’re always just so pleasant. As the detective said; we won’t take too much of your time, as _enjoyable_ as your company is.”

 

Raphael squeezed the doctor’s hand one more time before letting go. Lombard tried to subtlety flex his fingers.

 

_Alec kind of wanted to laugh._

 

“We found some Digaclorasipoxine at a crime scene; it appears to be the same type that you, and _only_ you, are currently working on. Would you care to explain how it got there?”

 

The doctor paled a bit, but seemed to recover quickly

 

“You must be mistaken, all my samples are accounted for. None have left the lab.”

 

Raphael drifted a bit closer to him, Lombard moved back

 

“And, of course you have detailed, accurate, records of all of them, correct? Every test, every version. Every **.** Last **.** One…right?

 

After all, you are required, by law, to report any missing amounts, even defective batches. Though the cost of destroying them is quite high, it really is for the safety of the public. You, of course, wouldn’t be trying to get past any of those pesky FDA or DEA rules and regulations, right? Not by, say, reporting something as destroyed when it was really merely, _innocently_ , misplaced?

 

 I mean, something like that? It could cost you your job, the company’s license; could tangle the company up in red tape for years. And really, that’s just the corporate downfalls. It turning up at a _murder scene_? Being used as the _**murder** **weapon**_?

 

Oh, man, that could get really messy, really fast” he smirked dangerously, raising his eyebrow.

 

 Lombard looked terrified, and slightly ill.

 

Magnus looked proud

 

Simon was staring at Raphael, amazed

 

Alec was, _once again_ , really glad the guy was on their side

 

 “I-I’ll go get my records”

 

“You do that”

 

He pretty much ran out of the room.

 

The second he left Magnus burst out laughing. He moved over to Raphael and slipped his arm around his shoulder, kissing his cheek.

 

 “Oh, Raph, that was just _beautiful!_ I thought he was going to pass out!”

 

 Raphael chuckled, and shrugged

 

“Well, I don’t know how effective it’ll be… it’s rather hard to prove something’s missing from a _lack_ of a record of it. They are usually pretty good about regulations here. But I’ve heard from a few of the other’s Lombard is one of the worst at it. He’s been written up for it several times, but feels that his work is important enough that the rules don’t apply to him. It is, however, a good place to start.”

 

 He paused and smiled moving away from Magnus, smoothly slipping his arm around Simon,

 

“Besides, he insulted you and Simon; like I wasn’t going to do something? _Please_.”

 

Magnus laughed again

 

 Simon was blushing, staring at Raphael with a rather besotted expression

 

“That was amazing! How did you learn to do that?” Simon exclaimed

 

“I don’t know, just can. It doesn’t bother you, does it?” Raphael shrugged faintly, a bit uncertain

Simon shook his head eagerly,

_“Ha,_ are you kidding? That was _like_ , _the hottest thing_ _,_ _ever_!”

 

That surprised a laugh out of Raphael

 

“Eso es bueno escuchar”

 

“I still don’t speak Spanish, but I’m guessing that means that’s okay, right?” he asked hopefully

 

“ **Yes** , Simon, it is good. _Really_ good”

 

 Simon was positively beaming

 

“ _I have the coolest boyfriend **ever!**_ ”

 

“I quite agree, darling” Magnus told him with a smile

 

Alec rolled his eyes, Magnus had been right earlier, they really were _annoyingly_ sweet

 

 A young lab tech came in carrying a file, stopping the conversation. He was somewhat on the short side, with light blonde hair and dark brown eyes. He was fairly attractive and looked to be in his mid to late twenties.

 

“Hi, I’m Todd Irving, Dr. Lombard’s assistant; he’s sorry but he got held up with something and couldn’t make it back-”

 

Simon barked out a quick laugh, then blushed

 

“Sorry” he said sheepishly

 

“It is quite alright, _lindo”_ Raphael said with a warm smile

 

_Alec thinks he may actually prefer the intimidating version of Raphael_

 

“Here are the records that he said you needed. He didn’t tell me much, why are the police looking at the company?” Todd asked, concerned

 

“We found some evidence at a crime scene that seems to lead back to the lab. It appears that some of an experimental medication that Dr. Lombard was working on was used to poison someone” Alec explained

 

“Oh, that’s terrible! Well, anything we can do to help, just don’t hesitate to ask.”

 

“Thank you, Mr. Irving; that’s very helpful.”

 

“No problem, detective” he said with a friendly smile

 

“I actually do have to get back to work…umm… but here, let me give you my number, if you need any more information or have any more questions; just give me a call.”

 

He pulled a pen and what looked like a stick of gum from his pocket. He unwrapped the gum, popped it in his mouth and quickly wrote his number down on the wrapper, handing it to Alec

 

“ _Anytime_ is fine…” he said, glancing up with another smile

 

“Uh, okay, thanks?” Alec said, slightly confused

 

 He and the others turned to the door to head back out of the lab. As soon as they got out into the hallway the other three begin to snicker.

 

Raphael started

 

 “Well, well, detective, I must say I’m rather impressed...”

 

Alec rolled his eyes

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“Alec, dude, he was _totally_ hitting on you!”

 

Alec shook his head, rolling his eyes,

 

“Oh, he was not! He gave me his number for the case.”

 

“Uh, huh, yeah, _okay_ , for the case.”

 

“Alexander, darling…they are quite right, he may as well of written his number on your hand; even I’m not _that_ obvious _”_

 

“Yeah, you are” Raphael interjected

 

“ _I am **not**_!”

 

“Mag’s, I have seen you _break_ _something_ on your car, just to have an excuse to see that hot mechanic”

 

“Okay, but, only like twice _…_ ”

 

“Do we need to go over the kitchen fire _again_?”

 

“That was a mistake”

 

“Yeah… _but you being **shirtless** when the firemen showed up sure as hell wasn’t_!”

 

“Oh, I had just got up!”

 

“You had your jewelry and makeup fixed”

 

“ _That doesn’t prove anything_!”

 

“There was glitter”

 

“ _Oh that is jus-”_

 

“Okay! It’s six o’ clock, and you’re bickering like children, I think were done for today. Why don’t we just break for the evening and start fresh tomorrow, see if we can find a connection back to Orson.” Alec interrupted rather desperately

 

Magnus gave a somewhat sheepish grin

 

“Sorry darling, we do get a bit carried away at times”

 

“That’s fine. Out of curiosity, how long have you guys known each other?”

 

 Magnus smiled

 

“He’s been my best friend for over eighteen years; don’t know where I’d be without him”

 

“Jail, most likely” Raphael grinned,

 

“I wou-”

 

“Bye guys, good night, see you tomorrow!” Alec quickly made for his car before they could start back up again

 

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

_What a long, eventful day._

Alec couldn’t believe everything that had happened. He started the day working the suicide of a down on his luck, out of work bookkeeper with his new, inexperienced, partner, and being annoyed by a distractedly attractive, fraudulent psychic.

 

Now he was working very closely with said ‘psychic’, along with his weirdly intimidating friend…who apparently has absolutely no issue flirting his way into a high security medical company, and investigating an obnoxious, shifty doctor’s connection to a newly made millionaire.

_This was definitely a first._

 

Adding to it was his new appreciation of said ‘psychic’. He didn’t believe the psychic thing…not for a second. But the thing was, if he wasn’t psychic…what was he?

 

He seemed to pick up on the strangest, slightest, things; following them to a conclusion that no one else could find. It almost seems like simple deductive reasoning, but if it was, then the guy may actually be the best detective Alec has ever met.

 

The thing with reading people, in particular, really was amazing. His ‘reading’ of Jace was dead on…though Alec kind of doubted his brother had quite that high of opinion of Alec, everything else was right on the money.

 

 When Jace had asked him what his ‘abilities’ told him about Alec, he’d felt like his heart was going to stop. He really didn’t think he wanted to hear it. He thought he would be fairly kind, if not completely truthful…he did seem to prefer him to Jace- _Which still, totally amazed him-_ But he just had no clue what, exactly, he would say.

 

Yes, Magnus had been complimenting him, almost since the first time they met…and yeah, after their confrontation, things seemed to even out and it appeared that they’d almost automatically fell into an instant camaraderie, in a way that rather worried him. However, he really had no clue what the man would say, what he truly thought of Alec.

 

He’d hoped it would be somewhat favorable, but, **_god_** , he had no idea Magnus would say anything like that. He had never heard anyone speak so highly of him. Yeah…his sister would compliment him, but that was family, it was supportive, it was just what Izzy did.

 

True, he’d get a few comments here or there, but, really, no one saw him when he was with his siblings…

_At least no one had._

 

Magnus really seemed completely unimpressed with Jace. When Jace asked his thoughts of Alec, the look he’d gave Jace was almost chilling. The way he had simultaneously complimented Alec while running down Jace had been astounding. He had said Alec was brave, intelligent, loyal and ‘ _everything a law enforcement officer should be_.’

 

 _He called Alec_ _gorgeous._

****

He’d said that before, but Alec kind of assumed it was just another, light, sweet, but relatively meaningless compliment. The guy seemed very kind and friendly; it appeared that he was complimentary to everyone…well, _once again_ , everyone except, Jace.

 

Izzy absolutely adored him.

**** _You really have no idea how remarkable you are, darling_

 

 Magnus’s last comment just seemed to repeat in his head. The way he had said it… Total sincerity, Alec may not be able to read people like Magnus, not on that in depth kind of level, but he could tell when someone was being completely honest. Magnus seemed to genuinely believe every word he’d said to Alec. The thought that anyone would think that highly of him, was kind of unbelievable;

 

The fact that it was _Magnus_ that saw him like that?

 

It completely stunned him.

 

Alec shook his head faintly,

 

 He was trying to stop thinking about it…stop replaying it in his head. He really needed to… Because every time he did, he felt like his heart was speeding up, almost light headed. It left him bewildered and slightly breathless.

_It probably wasn’t too good for his health_

 

 He took a deep breath, trying, _once again_ , to clear his thoughts of Magnus, turning onto his street. He was _almost_ home, maybe he could just turn on some mindless movie rerun and tune out for a while… it might make it a bit easier.

_Or not…_

 

 He groaned when his driveway came into view.

 

 Both Jace and Izzy’s vehicles where there; he briefly thought about just driving right past and finding some diner or bar to waste time in until they left. It wouldn’t work though, they’d stay all night if they had to and then he’d just have to field even more questions about why he was trying to avoid them. He sighed and tried to mentally prepare himself for the barrage he was about to face.

 

“Hi, _Alexander_ ” Jace teased the second he walked through the door

 

  _Yup… he should have just hid at a bar_

 

 “Jace, shut up” Izzy snapped before fixing him with a bright, cheerful, _painfully meddling_ , smile

 

  _He_ ** _was_** _still pretty close to the door… he could probably make it to his car before them_

 

 “Hey, what are you guys doing here?” he asked, as if he didn’t know

_This is why **Max**_ _was his favorite sibling_

 

 “Oh, we just figured with the case and all you must have had a hard day. Picked up take out from your favorite place; thought we could have a family night, catch up, you know… So, how are things?”

 

Alec huffed faintly, rolling his eyes,

 

“Izzy; everything is fine, case is going good, lots of interesting twists. What can we _possibly_ catch up on? We work together and talk several times a day, and _Jace_? You almost spend more time at the station than _I_ do”

 

 “How is _Magnus_?” Izzy asked WAY too innocently,

 

Alec gave a sarcastic smile,

 

“Good, fine _,_ probably not being interrogated at the moment, so far better than me.”

 

Izzy shook his head,

 

“Oh, Alec, you know we just care.”

 

Jace nodded in agreement,

 

 “Yeah so…you gonna go for it with the dude? I mean he’s not really my type, kinda seems like crazy high maintenance, but he is pretty hot. Plus, to hear him talk he practically idolizes you…might as well give it a shot.”

 

Alec raised his eyebrow,

 

“You mean he’s not your type because he finds you about as impressive and appealing as a jury summons?”

 

 Jace smirked, “so you DO think he’s hot”

 

“ I didn’t say that ”

“ _But you do!”_ Jace insisted, pointing at him

Izzy gave a slight shrug,

 

“He IS pretty hot, Alec. I don’t even go for guys and I thought so” Izzy interjected

 

 Alec rolled his eyes

 

“ _Oh, so what;_ Yeah the guy is hot, okay? He’s kind of _unreasonably_ gorgeous, but what does that matter?”

 

Izzy raised her eyebrow

 

“We just said hot. Jace told me what he said about you, that he was practically fawning over you.”

 

Alec huffed, rolling his eyes

 

“He was not, fawning…He probably didn’t even really mean half of it, he was just trying to piss Jace off and get him to shut up- you know what an impossible task that is.”

 

 Jace snorted, shaking his head

 

“ _Oh, please_! The guy was practically _gushing_ over you! None of my fans have ever said that many nice things about me.”

 

“You’re fans vocabulary doesn’t really go further than ‘ _oh my god’_ and ‘ _like, **totally** hot’_ ”

 

 Izzy laughed

 

“Alec, we just want to help, I already like the guy, he’s perfect for you.”

 

Alec sighed, shaking his head faintly

 

“Izzy, it’s not that simple”

 

“Why?”

 

“We work together, alright?”

 

“Yeah, so did you and Dax, you dated him”

 

“That was a huge mistake”

 

She tilted her head, seemingly giving the point.

 

“Okay, yeah, that’s true… but not because you worked together, because the guy was a total jackass.”

 

“Okay bu-”

 

“So Magnus isn’t, you do like him right?”

 

“It’s complicated”

 

“It really isn’t”

 

"It just is, okay, drop it!"

 

"But why?"

 

Alec shook his head…

 

 They just wouldn’t let it go

_“_ _Because he’s a_ ** _fraud_** _, okay?_ I know it; he’s NOT a psychic, he’s lying to the department, to the chief and to me. I can’t date someone who does that; No matter how amazing everything else about him seems, that is something I can’t get past, I just can’t”

 

 That quieted them down, for a second at least. Izzy put her arm around him and gave him a slight hug and light kiss on the cheek.

 

“Sorry big brother, we’ll stop pushing”

 

“Yeah, I guess I get that; I don’t really see what the big deal is, but if it bugs you that much, I’ll stop” Jace agreed

 

“Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you, I got a date with tha-”

 

Alec breathed a sigh of relief as Jace started chattering on about his latest conquest. He may not particularly like the whole lying thing, but he could pull it off pretty good when he really needed to.

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> We are actually nearing the end of this; It is going to be 12 chapters so we’ll only have 3 more to go I have them planned out now
> 
> _(I actually made a chart)_
> 
> ** New names and there meanings **
> 
> Harland- Meadow of the Hares-( A field full of bunnies popped in my head, I had to use it)
> 
> Unwin-(Nonfriend)
> 
> Lombard- Long Beard
> 
> Todd-Fox
> 
> Irving-Hansome
> 
>  


	10. That shut Jace Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus bugs Rangor, the guys get a suspect to investigate, Jace's ego takes a few hits

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

_What an amazing day!_

 

Magnus was working on an active police investigation. Not only that, _he was working the case with_ ** _Detective Lightwood!_**

He sighed a bit

 

 Alexander really was something else. He’d meant every word he had said to Jace; he truly was everything an officer of the law should be. Yes, he was brave, dedicated, intelligent, and absolutely tenacious; but more so, he, at heart, was one of the most accepting, compassionate, least judgmental people Magnus had ever met. He genuinely seemed to put who a person was above what they were. That truly was such a rare, amazing quality.

 

One that Magnus was unbelievably grateful he possessed. If Alexander wasn’t such a person Magnus had no doubt that he would not have been able to really work the case. For the most part, the SBPD was full of genuinely good, upstanding, cops…but there where ignorant idiots everywhere.

 

Had Magnus been assigned a case with someone else, a detective similar to Dax, for example, he knew that he’d of been pushed out of the case, completely ignored, and made to feel as if he was nothing more than a burden or an obstacle to the case, regardless of the chiefs decision.

 

At the start Alexander had been abrupt, but he had also been completely honest. He had laid out all of his concerns regarding Magnus being involved in the case. The criticism was rather harsh, but not one part of it had anything to do with how he looked or trivial things such as that. Rather his trepidation was about why Magnus wanted to work the case, as well as his thinking Magnus was lying about the whole psychic thing…

 

  _Which, yeah, had to kind of give him that point_.

 

Once Magnus had been honest with him- _well, as honest as a fake psychic vaguely defrauding the SBPD could be_ \- the man had completely changed.

 

His assurance that he would take Magnus’s information seriously, that he would take _Magnus_ seriously?  It still completely shocked and thrilled him. He was eternally grateful for the man, and determined to prove to him placing that amount of trust in Magnus would be worth it.

 

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts, trying to focus on driving. After leaving the others Magnus had decided that he wasn’t ready to go home yet. He felt too wired from the day. There was still the matter of his Psychic detective agency. He decided that he may as well work on it a bit more, maybe pick up a few more supplies.

 

He had pretty much everything he could ever need from Clary’s shop ( _okay, way more than he could ever need, **crafty girl**_ **)** but he was still missing a few things.

 

He smiled.

 

Rangor had just got back from a month in London; what better way to calm down after an exciting day than annoying his most boring, stuffy, serious friend? He laughed slightly as he parked.

 

_He couldn’t wait to tell him about the psychic thing!_

 

 Rangors’ Book’s ( _really, the creativity that went into the name was _truly_ astounding_) was a nice, somewhat inviting, cozy place to pass the time. It had shelves upon shelves of books covering seemingly every topic known to man.

 

 There were a few tables and couches situated around for customers to relax and visit, quietly. It was a bit out of the way but got a decent amount of business. Rangor was always here, literally, he actually lived in an apartment located directly above the shop. He usually had soft, soothing music playing from the in-house speakers behind the counter. Much like Clary’s shop, everything about the place was so like Rangor; everything was ordered, meticulous, bordering on stuffy, and calm.

_It was so fun_ _to mess with him._

 

 Magnus strode though the door and, glancing around, saw that there were no other customers in the store, spotting Rangor meticulously re-categorizing a section of books. He seemed pretty absorbed, not even noticing the door chime above the quiet instrumental music playing; that was good.

 

Magnus slipped quietly towards the counter, he got his phone out and found the loudest, fastest, most energetic dance mix he had and waited for the current song to stop playing. At the beat between songs he quickly plugged the speaker into his phone, turned the volume up, and hit play

 

 The song blared from the speakers, Rangor jumped about a foot in the air, knocking over the stack of books he was working on and flinging the one he had in his hand halfway across the room. He whirled around towards the counter.

 

 “ _Magnus_! What the hell are you doing!? Turn that off!” He shouted, glaring. Magnus laughed turning the volume down to a less ear splitting level,

 

“Sorry, darling, I just couldn’t resist”

 

 Rangor rolled his eyes with a bit of a huff

 

“Really, shouldn’t you of out grown such juvenile acts by now?”

 

“Oh…between you and Raphael I have to keep it up. No sense all of us turning into cranky old men…although the two of you have been that way your entire lives.”

 

“Magnus, did you actually _need_ something, or are you just here to annoy me?”

 

“ _Aww_ …why can’t it be both?”

 

“What did you need?”

 

“I just wanted to welcome you back, dear…how’s Cat doing, anyways?  I haven’t talked to her in a while.”

 

Rangor shrugged faintly, nodding

 

“She’s doing well; work is going good, busy…but quite rewarding.”

 

“That’s good. And _you..._ how are you doing?”

 

Rangor looked rather confused, and a bit weary

 

“Umm... I’m fine? The trip went quite smoothly, uneventful flight”

 

He almost didn’t want to ask, but knew Magnus wouldn’t let up till he did

 

“So, Magnus, how have you been, you...seeing someone?”

 

“No, not really…Raph is though! He actually has a boyfriend, Simon. He’s a junior detective with the SBPD, total sweetheart; they really are annoyingly adorable together.”

 

He rolled his eyes with an affectionate smile before continuing,

 

“I have actually been far too busy for anything like that. Indecently, where are your books on psychic readings and phenomena?”

 

 Rangor raised his eyebrow

 

“Umm…I think there are some over in the parapsychology section and a few in fantasy probably. Why on earth would you need those?”

 

Magnus nodded absently,

 

“Oh, of course, I should have realized that…thank you. I just need a few of them… figured I should do a bit of research before I open my Psychic Detective Agency, that’s all”

 

With that he turned and headed towards the section on parapsychology.

 

 “ _Your WHAT?!”_

 

Rangor rushed after Magnus

 

 “What the hell are you talking about!?”

 

Magnus shrugged, absently perusing the shelves idly reaching over selecting a few volumes.

 

“As I said darling, I'm opening a psychic detective agency. I _should_ have it up and running within the week, here, hold this-”

 

 He handed Rangor one of the books on psychic readings

 

  _“Bu-,w-wha,?”_ Rangor stammered, at a loss

 

Magnus shrugged

 

“It actually could have been done quicker…however with the current case I am working I can only work on it in my off time.”

 

“Case?”

 

“Yes, dear, do pay attention”

 

Rangor sighed, shaking his head in exasperation, trying to understand just where all this was going…

 

“Magnus? What are you doing, where did this crazy idea come from?”

 

He tilted his head, still perusing the stacks,

 

“Oh, well, a few weeks ago the police brought me in for questioning in a museum heist, one thing lead to another and the current chief, Luke Garroway- lovely man- hired me as a psychic consultant. As of yet he has only had me looking into cold cases, but today I ended up on a current investigation. It is really turning out to be quite interesting…

 

Here these too.” he handed Rangor a few more books

 

 Rangor just blinked, uncomprehendingly

 

“I-I really don’t understand this…you told them you were psychic? Why did you lie to them, and where on earth did they get the idea you had a part in a museum heist?”

 

Magnus shrugged faintly,

 

“Well, I called in one of my tips, _anonymously_ , of course…and they were rather confused as to how exactly I came about the information. They brought me in and…well; it just kind of went from there.”

 

He shook his head quickly

 

“I-bu…wha…How do you go from suspect to psychic!?”

 

Magnus gave, yet another careless shrug, like this was just a common occurrence,

 

“Well, that was mainly darling Simon’s doing, though unintentional.”

 

_“ _Simon_?”_

 

 Magnus rolled his eyes, huffing faintly,

 

“Yes, _Simon_ … Raphael’s boyfriend? Really if you’re not going to listen I don’t know why I’m even bothering telling you this.”

 

“So this Simon is lying for you?” he asked thoroughly confused, desperately trying to make some semblance of sense out of this…Whatever the hell it was.

 

Magnus chuckled faintly, waiving him off

 

 “Oh, no, not at all. The darling truly does believe I’m psychic, I am unsure the boy even knows _how_ to lie, much less convincingly. Raphael would like to tell him the truth about me…but, quite honestly, I don’t think he could keep the secret.”

 

Rangor shook his head

 

“And Raphael’s… _okay_ with all this?”

 

Again with the careless shrug...as if they were talking about the weather or what they had for dinner the night before. Though this shrug was accompanied by a faint smirk…

 

_Great…there’s a twist…cause this wasn’t already crazy enough…_

 

“Well, as he is my _partner_ in the Detective agency, I would imagine he is” Magnus quirked his eyebrow

 

_What…_

 

“He’s your par…wha...How di...” he stammered, completely unsure how to process the fact that **_Raphael_** \- Magnus’s most levelheaded, intelligent friend, other than himself of course, who usually was the voice of reason and was one of the VERY few people who could get Magnus’ crazy schemes a bit closer to earth- was apparently not only on board with this…but actively participating it it…

 

_Seriously…what the hell?_

 He finally just shook his head, there was no making sense of this and if he tried anymore it may actually sprain something. He settled for a groaning sigh, this was getting him nowhere. Taking a deep breath, and sitting the books that Magnus had handed him on a nearby cart, he turned to his friend, resting his hand on his arm, trying to get through to him.

 

“Magnus, you can’t do this…it is insane, you will end up getting arrested.”

 

Magnus scoffed faintly, with a dismissive wave,

 

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic, it’s fine darling”

 

Rangor shook his head quickly,

 

“It’s fine? _Fine?_ Magnus; you are impersonating a psychic, defrauding the SBPD, and opening a new business to defraud _even **more**_ people; what part of any of that is ‘fine’?”

 

“The part where I get to be a detective without having to sacrifice being myself...” Magnus said softly

 

 Rangor sighed

_Oh, so that’s_ _what it was_

_Now Raphael’s participation made sense…_

 

He shook his head faintly,

 

“I thought you had given up on that a long time ago?”

 

Magnus gave a slight nod,

 

“I did. I had, for so long... But then…then this all just sort of happened. It all kind of snowballed and got out of control and I honestly don’t even really know how everything aligned just so, but it did. It has and now I have a chance. One I never really thought I would.”

 

 Magnus sighed, shaking his head, looking downcast, leaning back against the book shelf, deflating a bit.

 

“I know how crazy this all seems. I know it is completely insane and totally out of nowhere and has a very real possibility of ending up with me getting arrested for fraud and probably who knows what else…I really do realize that.” he paused taking a deep breath, looking up, meeting his gaze,

 

“But, Rangor; it is also the closest thing to a real shot at this, at something that was my dream for nearly my entire life, I have ever had…

 

 I can’t just pass it up.”

 

 Rangor didn’t really know what to say to that. He didn’t know if he’d ever seen his friend so passionate about something.  Magnus was right; it was crazy and illegal and a host of other things, but he remembered how down Magnus had been when he had finally accepted that it just wasn’t going to happen for him. When he had to give up on something that he wanted for so very long. He couldn’t tell him not to do it, not to take the chance, no matter how slim the possibility was.

 

He nodded faintly, giving Magnus an encouraging smile,

 

 “That is really great for you; I do hope it works out. I’ve no doubt you can do the work, and if there is anything I can do to help, just let me know.”

 

Magnus gave him a relieved, grateful smile,

 

 “Thanks, I really hope so too.”

 

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#  Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec

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 “I just don’t get why it’s such a thing, that’s all” Jace said, for the fifth time today

 

 Alec sighed,

 

_His brother was a lot to deal with_

 

“Jace it just is, okay? You said last night that you’d drop it, so please, just let it go?”

 

 He rolled his eyes

 

“Whatever, I still don’t get it”

 

 Alec groaned, trying to drive faster. He really had tried to get away from Jace…the guy was still harping on him about Magnus. Alec had been so desperate that he had actually called Magnus and told him that they could meet at his ‘Psychic Detective Agency’ to go over the evidence.

 

 That was how desperate he was to get away from Jace; he was willing to sit around, what he still steadfastly believed, was a phony psychic detective agency in the making. He’d thought he’d made it out, but when he got in the car Jace just hopped right in the passenger seat. Simon was getting all the files together as well as a few other odds and ends they’d need, planning to meet them there.

 

_This was going to be a really long day._

 He found a parking spot near the storefront and quickly made his way to the door, briefly wondering if he could make it in the building fast enough to just lock Jace out… it may not work, but it sure was tempting.

 

Walking through the door, Alec took in the place; it was definitely unique. It really looked like an office at first glance, but much brighter. The walls were a soft bluish green that seemed somehow warm. The large picture window had deep reddish violet curtains about half way down that had a slight iridescence to them and were pulled open to let the sun in, which seemed to catch on various crystals that were situated about the room.

 

Beneath the window were four, fairly comfortable looking chairs that were almost black, but with the bright sunlight streaming in on them they seemed a very deep, warm burgundy. Facing the chairs was a fairly large light wood desk with a really intricate design carved into it.

 

Behind the desk there was a wall with an archway leading to a separate part of the building that had curtains similar to the ones in the window, only of a thicker, plusher, fabric, tied to one side with a gold ribbon type thing.

 

Everywhere you looked there was something else unique, colorful and eye catching, none of it should have really worked together, but it just kind of did. It was oddly welcoming. He had to fight back a bit of a smile…

 

_He could definitely tell it was Magnus’s._

 

 “Hello?” he called

 

“Back here, darling” Magnus called from that curtained off area

 

 Alec followed the voice through to where Magnus and Raphael were sitting. There were two desks facing each other, similar to the one in the front office. This room was much the same to the lobby area he’d just left, all bright, warm and welcoming.

 

Magnus was standing next to one of the desks, leaning against it reading over some kind of paperwork.

 

The light from the window streamed in, catching on his jewelry and showcasing the, for today, brilliant red highlights in his hair. He looked up and smiled excitedly, his whole face just seemed to light up.

 

 **** _Wow, that was just breathtaking_

 

 “Good morning, Alexander, so glad to see you today! So…what do you think? I’m not done yet,  of course, but I should be in a day or so. It is coming along quite nicely, isn’t it?” he asked, gesturing around the room.

 

Alec nodded quickly

 

“Y-yeah, it’s looking great, it really suits you” Alec said before he could stop himself

 

Magnus positively beamed

 

“Thank you darling, that is so sweet.”

 

  _Man, he couldn’t even make it twenty minutes talking to the guy without blushing, this was really bad_

 

 “Morning Alec” Raphael said, without even glancing up

 

“Hey, Raphael”

 

Magnus’s smile faded just a bit, becoming a bit phony, focusing on something slightly behind Alec.

 

“Oh…hey Jace, you’re here, what a surprise.”

 

  _Crap_ , _he’d forgot about Jace!_

 

 “Yeah, hey Magnus” Jace called distractedly

 

Jace bypassed Alec and Magnus, strolling over to the desk where Raphael was sitting, going over some papers. He settled in, leaning pretty close with his usual smirk.

 

_Uh oh,_

 

“Hey there _…_ I haven’t met you yet.”

 

Raphael looked up at him with an expression rather like someone would a bug or some other pest; he just stared with a slightly raised eyebrow.

 

_It was kind of unsettling, really_

 Jace seemed undeterred however, leaning even closer

 

“I’m Jace, _Jace Wayland_ ”

 

Raphael’s expression changed to a fairly charming, though _blatantly_ phony smile

 

_Okay, yeah, this was going to be bad,_

 

Alec didn’t know if he should stop it or sit back and watch the crash.

 

 “Oh yeah, you’re on that cop show right?” Raphael said, all false amazement, leaning a bit closer.

 

Jace grinned smugly

 

“That’s right”

 

_Alec kind of wished they had popcorn; this was going to be quite a show_

 

“That is really impressive. You know…with Magnus owning Pandemonium I have actually got to meet quite a few actors. It really is quite interesting”

 

Jace gave an overly confident nod, smirking all the more,

 

“Yeah, we are”

 

“Yes, quite so. It is always so fascinating to see just how much of the actual person goes into the character they portray. Tell me, do you think you are quite like your character?” Raphael asked, all false interest,

 

Jace nodded, leaning in more,

 

“Oh yeah, a lot of it is me, totally…though I’m a bit more attractive in real life” he gave a bit of a wink, before continuing

 

“So, you watch the show?”

 

 Raphael shrugged with a slight nod

 

“A bit… me and Mags have watched it a few times, pretty entertaining.”

 

 Jace grinned, putting his hand on Raphael’s shoulder, glancing over at Magnus and Alec.

 

“See, he thinks my show is entertaining”

 

 Raphael’s grin turned sharp

 

“Well, the way we watched it was...”

 

Jace tilted his head curiously,

 

“Oh, how’s that?”

 

“We made a game of it…every time you said something stupid, inaccurate and completely wrong, we took a shot. We tried to do one every time you gave that smug, vacant, overly confident, smirk but finished an entire bottle before the first commercial break.”

 

 Jace looked like someone had slapped him, Raphael continued

 

“As I said, it is so very interesting to see just how closely a person mirror’s their character.

 

You are wrong, by the way...You are far more attractive on television...at least there you can be muted.”

 

 Raphael glanced at Jace’s hand still on his shoulder before shifting his gaze back up, locking eyes with Jace,

 

“ _Also_ , if you do not remove your hand from me within the next five seconds, _I will._ ”

 

 Jace pulled his hand back as if he’d been burned. He stumbled back a few steps and moved to slightly behind Alec.

 

Magnus burst out giggling, leaning against the desk; Alec couldn’t really hold back a chuckle himself. Jace glared at both of them, before settling back on his brother.

 

 “Alec, _dude_ , you’re supposed to be on my side!”

 

Alec put his hands up placatingly

 

“ _Jace_ , you have hit on nearly every reasonably good looking person I’ve ever worked with; if someone calls you on it, I’m kind of okay with that, it saves me a lot of awkward conversations.

 

You are an adult; you can take a bit of rejection”

 

“Whe-” Jace begun but was cut off by the door opening, Simon bounding in,

 

“Hey guys! Morning, I got all the stuff for the case…” he trailed off, glancing over tilting his head in confusion

 

“Oh, hey Jace, what are you doing here?”

 

 “Annoying his brother, sulking, and badly attempting to hit on me” Raphael said with a smirk

 

Jace glared a bit more at Raphael,

 

 “Oh… _really_?” Simon asked looking over at Jace than back at Raphael

 

Raphael just shrugged, rolling his eyes,

 

Simon gave a faint nod, glancing over at Jace once more, smiling sweetly…before walking right over to Raphael, catching his shoulder, spinning his chair around, and kissing him, _hard._

 

 Magnus gave a bright, delighted, giggle, clapping animatedly

 

Alec couldn’t keep from laughing himself

 

Jace looked shocked

 

 Simon started to pulled away, but Raphael caught him, tugging him back in for one more kiss before separating, though he kept his arm around his waist and Simon’s stayed firmly around his shoulders.

 

“Eres la persona más increíble que he conocido” he murmured

 

“That’s good, right?”

 

Raphael laughed warmly

 

“Yeah, Simon, that’s _really_ good”

 

“What does it mean?”

 

“You are the most incredible person I have ever met.”

 

 

 “ _Hey! I thought you said you were straight!”_ Jace demanded looking at Simon

 

Simon just gave a faint shrug

 

“Actually, I’m pan. It really just depends on the _person_ more than the gender…so, as far as you were concerned, _yeah..._ I am totally, _completely_ , straight.”

 

 By this point the other three were laughing uncontrollably

 

“You know, I think I’m just going to head out now.” Jace muttered, quickly moving for the door

 

The second the door closed Magnus rushed over to the younger man,

 

 “Oh my god, Simon! That was absolutely amazing sweetheart, I had no idea you had it in you!” Magnus almost squealed, leaning over, kissing Simon on the cheek

 

Raphael nodded with a somewhat proud, impressed look

 

Alec was laughing way too hard to comment

 

 Simon blushed, glancing over at Alec sheepishly,

 

“Sorry dude, I know he’s your brother, but that guy really is **_super_** annoying.”

 

Alec just kind of waved it off, still trying to get his laughter in check

 

“Simon, that’s fine, that was _incredible_ , I have never seen anyone shut him up that fast _,_ I have been trying to do that for years!”

 

“Oh, goodness, that was a wonderful way to start the day” Magnus said with a beaming smile, still chuckling faintly

 

Alec nodded in agreement,

 

“ It really was, though now that we got rid of him we really should actually start working”

 

 Magnus nodded, smile shifting into something not quite as brilliant, but no less eager, becoming sharp, almost challenging…he leaned forward, thumbing through the files Simon had brought.

 

Alec swallowed faintly, trying to focus on the work rather than how distracting that look was…

 

“So, is there any connection we can find between Lombard and Orson as of yet?”

 

 Alec shook his head,

 

“None I’ve seen, Orson was a bookkeeper, but I can’t see anywhere that they would have crossed paths. He’d been out of work for over two months before that.”

 

“Well, Izzy gave me a copy of the test of the medication that Raphael was able to convince the lab to send over; they are identical to the ones he was working on, so it was definitely that medication that was used to kill him.” Simon added with a glance towards Raphael,

 

Raphael tilted his head, thoughtfully,

 

 “Lombard is arrogant, but he is also a coward and rather squeamish… I honestly don’t think he would have it in him to actually _kill_ someone. In addition to that he is quite careless with the disposal of his discards. If the medication came from him it is highly likely that he had just thrown it out improperly and someone got it out of the trash to use.

 

As much as I would like it to be him, it is probably just as likely to be someone else from the lab.”

 

Alec nodded picking up one of the files, glancing through it,

 

“Yeah, that could be. But I can’t really see any connection back to the lab from Orson; He’s lived in Santa Barbra for about three years, and has never worked for the lab in any capacity.” He shrugged faintly,

 

“Well, maybe if we work from Orson we can find a way back. Who was his next of kin?” Magnus asked the room, glancing around

 

 Alec looked through the file, shaking his head slowly

 

“He doesn’t have one listed, his parents are deceased and he was an only child.”

 

Magnus thought back to the crime scene,

 

_It had been a bit bare, looking like a few things were missing. Some pieces of furniture, couple pictures…_

_A break up_

 

Magnus tilted his head

 

“What about his ex-wife, did anyone ever look into her?”

 

Alec looked at him curiously, shaking his head

 

“He wasn’t married, never had been, no marriage license on file.”

 

Magnus closed his eyes, going back to the scene;

 

_Clothes missing, the stacks of mail throughout the house, there was a Magazine with a subscription label on it, from a few months ago, with a name…_

 

“Lacey Gresham” he said opening his eyes

 

 Alec looked through the files

 

“Umm…I don’t see that name anywhere in the file.”

 

 Magnus shook his head, mentally flipping through images of the house, letting everything slot into place.

 

“They had been together for years, nearing a decade, she moved out a few months ago. She was cheating, had been for a while…what she didn’t take that showed them, he gave away or burned. He’d been trying to rebuild his life;

 

 The job he lost?

 

It was with WinWrite publishing, correct?” he asked looking at Alec

 

He looked through the file, nodding quickly,

 

“Yeah, that’s right”

 

Magnus couldn’t really sit still when he was thinking, he started to move, pacing a bit trying to put together the pieces.

 

“The head of the company is Everett Gresham, he’s her father. They’d never married because Everett never really approved of the relationship. But they were together for quite a while. Over seven years in California makes them common law married…which means she’d automatically get his estate, unless it was otherwise stated.

 

He had no will; I mean, why would he?

 

 Up till less than a week ago he had nothing to leave to anyone.”

 

 Pausing he looked at the others

 

Simon looked totally amazed; eyes wide, mouth slightly open,

 

Raphael was typing on his phone

 

Alec was staring at him like he was just seeing him for the first time

 

 Magnus shook his head

 

“I do not know the connection to Lombard, but I do believe if we go see Lacey we will find it.”

 

Alec nodded slowly, a slightly astonished look on his face

 

“Y-yeah, that, that’s a really solid lead…let’s find this woman and get to the bottom of this. We can s-”

 

“She lives at 1032 Evergreen rd. it’s about twenty minutes from us” Raphael said already standing up and grabbing his keys

 

Alec and Simon were both staring at him now, he just shrugged

 

 “What? I’ve known the guy for eighteen years, he’s been doing that for pretty much as long as I’ve known him; I don’t need time to adjust, When he said the name, I googled her. Are we going to go, or are you just going to sit around staring?” he directed the last part at Alec, raising his eyebrow slightly, before heading for the door, Magnus following close behind.

 

Simon recovered first, eagerly rushing after him, beaming

 

 _“This is_ ** _SO_** _cool!”_ he exclaimed

 

Alec trailed behind the others, not quite sure what he had seen, but really wanting to know more.

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so there was a ** _LOT_** of fluctuation in emotions in this one, but I really like it.  
>  _I love Raphael And Simon being completely unimpressed by Jace_
> 
>  ** _I really adore Simon having a bit of a sassy side!_** (May play with that a bit more)
> 
>  
> 
> So, what did you think?


	11. Detective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec thinks about Magnus more, and the case comes to a conclusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, as I said I don’t know about forensics or anything like that, I doubt most of the things I throw in make sense and am totally just making it up as I go along, but I think, it makes sense enough to work at least.
> 
>  Also I chose **Lacey** for the name of the suspect because it means 'Cheerful one', and once you read the chapter you'll see just how _ironic_ that is

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#  Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 “That was _**amazing**_ Magnus!” Simon babbled, for what to Alec felt like the hundredth time

 

 “It’s really not that fantastic darling, at least not until it actually leads to something…but thank you again just the same.”

 

“ _No, but, it **really** was!_ Like you just got that out of nowhere, she wasn’t even in the file or anything! You just, like, divined it and knew everything, stuff that didn’t even have any record! It was…”

 

 Alec tried to tune him out and focus on his driving. He kind of wished his partner had decided to ride with his boyfriend. Raphael had said he’d drive separately so if Alec actually had to take the suspect in he and Magnus would have a ride back. He seemed fairly sure about Magnus’s tip, like it was obviously going to be right.

 

Simon seemed set on switching between staring in amazement at Magnus and babbling on about his psychic abilities. It was really getting to be a bit much.

 

He glanced at the other two people in the car.

 

 Magnus was smiling at Simon, chattering back, but he was doing that thing like he had with Izzy; seeming much more subdued, verging on modest…like he wasn’t even sure he deserved the praise, like he wasn’t used to it…at least not for this.

 

 It threw Alec; the man was so confident and self assured in everything else, verging on cocky at times, though nowhere near Jace level. It wasn’t that he was vain or self absorbed; he just knew exactly who and what he was and if someone didn’t like or approve of it, he really didn’t care.

 

That level of confidence in yourself? Honestly, Alec found it rather intimidating.

 

It had kind of caught Alec off guard when he’d first met Magnus; during his attempt at an interrogation.

 

  _That... that was just something else_ _entirely._

 

Something he really tried not to think about; _He really blushed way too much around the_ _guy_ _already,_ no need to add that awkwardness to it.

 

Magnus had completely stunned him, leaving him a blushing, stuttering mess, until, thankfully, Garroway and Dax had come in the room. Once they arrived Magnus had totally changed, he seemed friendly and helpful towards Garroway. Then Dax had tried to intimidate him; Alec had never seen anyone so completely, effortlessly, shut somebody down.

 

He had picked back up the interview, now on better footing. Thinking that now he actually had a bit of a read on this guy… and, _once again_ , he had been wrong.

 

After his confrontation and subsequent break up with Dax, he had to admit that Dax was kind of right on one thing; Magnus _was_ flirting with him, he seemed like he’d been working Alec a bit.

 

  _But the thing was, Alec **really** didn’t mind_.

 

 The guy was _beyond_ gorgeous, sharp and exciting… unlike anyone he’d ever met. He had actually really thought about trying to get in touch with him again, but that was hardly professional. Bad enough to start something with his partner. Hitting on a guy who he met as a potential suspect? Yeah, that was unprofessional on a whole other level.

 

 He doubted Magnus would even be interested in him anyways; the guy had to have better options. He figured he’d just put Magnus out of his mind, try to forget about him, and that would be it.

 

 _Then Magnus had oh so cheerily informed him they’d be working_ _together…_

 

_Which sort of threw his ‘just forget about the gorgeous, fascinating, totally out of your league guy' out the window._

 

And now, here they were, on their way to interview a suspect that, had Magnus not been a part of the case, wouldn’t even of been known.

_Hell_ , if he wasn’t involved they’d of ended up writing it off as a suicide, none of them would have been the wiser, and a murderer would have gotten away totally free. He shook his head, trying to come back to the case, but couldn’t stop glancing over at Magnus once more.

 

Magnus saw him looking and gave a reassuring smile

 

“ _Alexander_ , darling, don’t worry, I truly think this will be the key to solving the case”

 

Yeah, Alec kind of thought so too.

_That’s what scared him._

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#  Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec-Alec

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They pulled up in front of the house, making their way up the drive. Alec reached the door first knocking firmly, the other three just kind of lined up behind him. Magnus fought off a chuckle; they probably were quite a sight.

 

The door opened revealing a woman. She was about average height and fairly skinny, with shoulder length, most definitely bleached, over processed hair. She was wearing a pair of blue men’s track pants and an ill fitting tank top from some kind of concert, thought the image was too faded to really tell what it was.

 

 She looked over the group with a fairly condescending gaze, which briefly looked like disgust when it landed on Magnus, before moving on, finally settling back on Alec.

 

“Yeah, what do you want?”

_So many pleasant people in this case_

 

Alec fought down a rather rude remark and instead decided to _try_ to be professional

 

“Good morning, Ma’am, are you Lacey Gresham?”

 

 She rolled her eyes with a bit of a huff

 

“ _Yeah_ , that’s me.”

 

Alec nodded,

 

 “Ms. Gresham, we have a few questions regarding your ex boyfriend, Curtis Orson?”

 

She gave a spiteful laugh, folding her arms

 

“What’s the loser done now, finally off himself or something?”

_God, I hope it’s her_ Alec thought before continuing

 

 “Actually, Ms. Gresham, it appears far more likely that he was murdered.”

 

She snorted, shaking her head

 

“Murdered? _Please_ , the man was suicidal for months.”

 

“Well, the evidence doesn’t really point to that, Ma’am; can we come in and talk about this? Unless, of course, you would rather us just take you into the station to clear this up.”

 

 She glared a bit, then just huffed, stepping to the side

 

“Fine, whatever, come in, don’t know why you’d be looking at me, wasting your time, bunch of morons.”

 

She looked over them again with disdain

 

“What are you anyways? You I guess are a detective, that crappy suit says that much, but the rest?  What, figured you’d grab a few stupid looking freaks to make yourself look better?”

 

  _Please_ _be her_

 

“You are just _lovely_ , aren’t you?” Magnus said all false sweetness

 

Simon looked annoyed, but not particularly upset

 

The smile Raphael fixed on her kind of sent a chill up Alec’s spine, he _really_ didn’t want to know what that was from.

 

 “I’m Detective Lightwood…Actually I’m the head detective for the SBPD. And my partner, Detective Lewis. This is Magnus Bane, he is an especially skilled psychic detective currently contracted with our precinct, and his…colleague, Raphael.

_Magnus_ has really been quite invaluable to the department; we actually have him to thank for finding you _._ ”

 

 Alec chanced a glance over at the others;

 

Simon looked kind of surprised and was smiling faintly

 

Raphael looking far less murderous, caught his eye and sent a slight nod to Alec

 

Magnus was staring at him with an expression that he had not yet seen, but that made his heart race and him feel slightly light headed,

_Wow…I don’t really know what I did for that; but I definitely need to do it again… **a lot**_

 

 “Psychic? Really?” She scoffed

 

“ _Ha_ _,_ you guys are really that desperate? Though that does explain the ridiculous outfit, I guess. I don’t believe in that crap; can’t believe an actual detective would buy it.

 

What…you sleeping with him or something? Is that why you’re letting him prance around a crime scene? I mean, Really…What _actual_ information could some overdressed, prissy, palm reader tell you that would be in anyway useful?”

 

 Magnus seemed to snap out of whatever he was thinking, turning his gaze from Alec to Lacey; instantly he seemed to change, it was somewhat startling.

 

Everything became calculated, sharp, his gaze becoming almost piercing. He stepped forward a bit, moving gracefully, assertively, looking her over, taking in everything about the woman, much the same way he did when he was ‘reading’ Jace. Only there, he had had an air of playfulness about him.

 

Thinking back Alec suddenly realized he could almost see Magnus trying to work what he wanted to say into a way that would suitably subdue Jace, but not really cause any true lasting harm. His smile had been sharp, and a bit dangerous, but nothing like the look he currently had. Alec saw none of that restraint in Magnus now

 

 Magnus smiled

 

Alec kind of held his breath

 

 “Oh, _sweetie_ … there is so much I can tell them, I simply don’t know where to start. You are very cold, very vain, you have an _**absurdly**_ high opinion of yourself; most of which you got from your father, who always treated you like a ‘princess’. You got used to everyone fawning over you, doting on you, giving you everything you could have possibly wanted. Anything you weren’t handed, you merely took. You thought nothing of anyone else’s opinion, just going after what you wanted, regardless of the cost.

 

That, in and of itself, is not a truly bad quality… in fact in most I’d admire it. But honestly you just took the selfishness and narcissism to a wholly unhealthy, bordering on sociopathic, level.

 

 You began seeing Curtis when he started at your fathers company; I don’t really think you actually cared about him, but he had access to the accounts and you manipulated him into giving you access to corporate funds. You flirted and led him on, eventually moving in with him. He actually grew tired of the games a while ago, I’d say…oh, about five years ago.

 

He told you he was going to leave you, but you really couldn’t have that. You told him you’d tell your father about the relationship, I’ve no doubt that you’d of embellished, telling him all about what a horrible person he was; you also threatened to tell your father about the embezzlement, putting all the blame on poor Curtis.”

 

Magnus slowly circled her; she turned as well keeping her eyes on him, glaring, furiously

 

 “ _You don’t know what you’re talking about!_ ”

 

 “Oh, but _I do_ ; and were not even close to done. You see, after that? _After_ you realized that you had him completely at your mercy, then you really showed your true colors. You cheated on him, constantly, and were blatantly obvious about it. You didn’t even bother trying to hide it. I think you found it quite amusing, tormenting him so.

 

Then, of course, there was your drug habit”

 

 She shook her head

 

“That’s not true! You are lying, just making this up!”

 

 “No, I’m not, you know it as well as I. That was the main reason you wanted access to the corporate accounts in the first place. Your father knew of your, _issues_ shall we call them? He would give you nearly anything you wanted, but he wouldn’t stand for that. He cut you off financially, about two years after you started up with Orson. That was really the main reason you stayed with him. You used him to support you, and, of course, your habit. Having him keep taking money from the business. He was quite useful, at least until you found a better option;

 

Which you did, about three months ago.”

 

Magnus looked around the room, eyes settling on a pack of gum sitting on an end table. He’d seen that same exact pack before, at the lab.

 

“Really, I almost feel I should congratulate you. A handsome, young lab tech at one of the most innovative pharmaceutical companies in the country is a good deal better cash cow than a down on his luck bookkeeper… I’d almost be impressed, you know, if it didn’t end in murder.”

 

 Magnus paused here, looking back at Alec with a raised eyebrow

 

  _Oh wait, he had to do something_

 

 He shook himself out of the shock of the scene, grabbing his phone

 

 “This is Head detective Lightwood, send some uniforms over to Metamorphosis Dynamics, have them bring in Todd Irving on the Orson homicide.”

 

Magnus smiled at him, nodding before turning back to Lacey, once again seeming to shift personalities,

 

 “So, Todd killed Curtis? Huh… that’s too bad, guess he just got jealous of our past.” She said with a shrug

 

Magnus scoffed, shaking his head,

 

“No, he didn’t kill Curtis out of _jealously_ ; he did it because you asked him to.”

 

“That is ridiculous, why would I want to kill Curtis? He was a loser, I ditched him a while ago, I had moved on, he was _nothing_ to me, never really was.”

 

Magnus nodded, raising his eyebrow consideringly,

 

“Yes, I quite believe that part, you were perfectly happy to be rid of the man…at least until his luck turned.”

 

“What luck?”

 

“Him hitting that money? That must have been a total shock to you. You leave a man totally broken, before you left, just for the hell of it, you told your father about the embezzling, getting him fired, just because you could, ensuring that he would be totally destroyed. I almost wonder if you were actually trying to get him to kill himself, just to see if you could.

 

Then, out of nowhere, just three months after you broke up he’s suddenly a millionaire.”

 

 Magnus gave a bit of a cruel laugh

 

“The bachelor party he was at when he won? It was for a mutual friend; someone there called you, told you about it; it may even have been Curtis himself, I’m rather fuzzy about that, but the fact remains, you knew of the windfall.

 

You ran to him the second he got back; turned all your charm, well, all the charm you _think_ you have, on him telling him what a mistake it had been, how you realized you were still in love with him.” Magnus paused, smirking, raising his eyebrow,

 

“He turned you down cold, didn’t he? Pretty much laughed in your face”

 

 Lacey looked furious glaring hatefully

 

Magnus was undeterred

 

“You told your new boyfriend about it…I don’t know if he really wanted to go along with it or if you were just blackmailing him much the same as you had Curtis, since he’d been stealing drugs from work for you for quite a while…but the fact remains, he helped you.

 

When you told him of Curtis’s heart medication he knew that his boss was working on a new, far stronger version. He brought the pills from work, and you swapped them out with the ones in his actual prescription bottle. You still had your key and Curtis never changed the locks.”

 

She scoffed, rolling her eyes,

 

“Right **,** he turned me down? Please, _you are delusional,_ ** _psychic_**. Besides, I haven’t seen Curtis in months I haven’t been over to his place, and you can’t prove that I have”

 

 Magnus smiled again, tilting his head slightly; there was nothing nice about this smile. He glanced behind her at a coat rack in the corner.

 

“Do you have a cat, Lacey?” Magnus asked curiously, in an almost conversational, vaguely friendly, tone

 

 Lacey snorted,

 

“What? No, I can’t stand the damn things”

 

“Mmm, really?”

 

“Yeah, **_god_** , are you hard of hearing, or just stupid? _I don’t_ _have a cat_ _”_

 

He tilted his head curiously,

 

“And you don’t like them?”

 

“No, moron”

 

 Magnus raised his eyebrow a bit

 

“So, why, _exactly_ is there cat hair on your jacket hanging right there? Black cat hair, to be precise…quite similar to that of Curtis’s cat?”

 

She shook her head quickly

 

“That’s not cat hair.”

 

“I am quite certain if we test it it will be…and I _do_ believe they can match it to a specific animal.”

 

She looked kind of nervous now, for the first time since this had started. She huffed, shrugging,

 

“Oh, _whatever_ , it probably does belong to it. I picked up a bunch of my stuff from his place about a month ago. That damn things hair was everywhere, it was disgusting, glad I left, I had to wash everything.”

 

“Oh is that so?”

 

_“Yeah”_

 

“I thought you said you hadn’t been to his place in months?” Magnus asked,

 

“Oh, so I rounded up a bit, _who cares?_ That still doesn’t prove anything.”

 

 Magnus grinned, dangerously

 

“Actually, sweetie? It kind of _does_ …

 

 Curtis just adopted the kitten when he got back from Reno. He’d barely had her for two days. You couldn’t have got it when you begged him to take you back, he didn’t have it yet.

 

 I do believe he went and bought her as soon as he kicked you out of his house, knowing your distaste for the creatures, as a kind of final screw you. That’s probably also why he used your favorite jacket that you left to make a bed for the dear thing.” Magnus chuckled, shaking his head a bit,

 

“I think I may have rather liked this Curtis… in any case, you went to switch out the medication and grabbed your jacket as you left.”

She folded her arms, raising her eyebrow, challengingly,

 

“Oh…and how are you going to prove that? _Huh?_ He could have got the damn thing at any time.” She finished with a smug smirk.

 

 Magnus sighed a bit, rolling his eyes

 

“Really? _That’s_ your argument? He still had the carrier from the pet adoption agency; it has a cute little note on the side with the date and time of the adoption.

 

 I _do_ believe you’re out of excuses, dear”

 

 Alec nodded reaching for his cuffs

 

“I agree; Ms. Grisham, I am placing you under arrest for the murder of Curtis Orson, you have the right to remain silent… _Please use it,_ otherwise this is going to be a very long trip back to the station” He glanced at Raphael

 

“We’ll see you guys back at the station” he turned faintly focusing on Magnus, he nodded and gave a bit of an appreciative smile

 

“Thank you... _really_ impressive work, detective.”

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so that was the big Finale of the actual case. I do have one more chapter, but it is really just some fluff and nice little wrap up stuff, I have most of it already worked out, I should have it up by tonight or tomorrow afternoon at the latest. I really hope you all are enjoying this as much as I have


	12. So Many Possibilities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything gets wrapped up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay here is the last chapter; fair warning a LOT of emotion, but all good  
> I hope you all like it

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

_That was **amazing!**_

****

Solving the case was absolutely astounding; he’d helped before with his tips, of course, but actually getting to be a part of it? Getting to see it in action, see his information lead to the apprehension of a murderer? It was unbelievable. It was _so_ exciting; putting together all the pieces, laying out all that awful woman’s actions.

 

Being the one to prove how she did it, call her out on it… and for Alexander to not only back him, but actively vouch for him?

 

He was still stunned

 

Alec _vouched_ for him, called him invaluable.

_He called him_ **_detective_.**

 

He couldn’t quite stop a slight giggle. The way he looked at him… so impressed. Like he was amazed by Magnus. The thrill he got from that; from Alexander seeing him, _really_ seeing him, not just what he looked like, but who he truly was…

 

It was unlike anything he’d ever felt.

 

_Really impressive work, detective_

 

Replaying it yet again in his head Magnus had never been more thankful for his eidetic memory. He shook his head, sighing faintly. The man really was something else. When they’d got back to the station it’d all been a bit of a blur, seemed like everything was a rush; Simon and Alec got Lacey squared away for questioning. Magnus had to meet with Luke; giving his account of the case. When he’d finally finished Alec was back at his desk working through the paper work. Magnus didn’t really get a chance to talk to him.

 

Raphael and Simon had took off not long after they’d finished the final interview, Alec assuring Simon that he’d handle the paperwork for this one, with a kind smile.

 

 Magnus had ended up leaving the station, slipping out quietly without being noticed. Honestly, he just had no idea what to say to the detective. ‘Thank you’ hardly seemed enough, his usual confidence and eloquence seemingly evaporating. He had no idea how to even begin to thank the man for what he’d said, for everything he did.

 

 He’d retreated to his shop, trying to distract himself with the tasks of readying his new business… The thing with Alexander really was quite complicated. On the one hand the man was absolutely amazing. He was without a doubt, one of the most wonderful people Magnus had ever met. He was simply astounding; everything about him made Magnus like him more.

 

In truth, two days ago, when he had crashed his way onto the case, he had been almost more set on getting the gorgeous, intriguing detectives attention than on the possibility of the psychic detective thing. Though he was rather hesitant to admit it, a big part of him was still mostly convinced that he’d lose this chance at being a detective; that it would slip away from him, and he’d be left disappointed, again.

 

At the time, Alec had seemed like a wonderful distraction; he was really quite fun to tease and definitely seemed interested, if his getting so flustered was anything to go by. The man was intelligent, beyond handsome, witty and utterly fascinating to Magnus. He had showed up mostly with the goal of getting the gorgeous man’s attention.

 

When he had went so overboard with the cat thing he was almost certain that he’d killed any chance he might have had as far as working the case went.  When he’d heard that he was actually on the case, it was like a wakeup call; this was really happening, this was a real, genuine shot…

 

His only shot.

 

 He liked Alec, quite a lot, and was almost certain that there was something there, a definite possibility of something real between them. Up to two days ago, he would have absolutely jumped at any chance to start something with him.

 

But then the case happened; then they had had their confrontation, and he realized just what a valuable ally he had in the detective.

 

Having someone like that willing to listen to him, to accept his information, to support his ideas and to genuinely take him seriously? It was something that he really needed going into this. As much as he would _like_ to be with the detective, having him as support and as an ally within the department was far more important than having him as a potential love interest…

_No matter how **appealing** the idea may be._

 

 He just couldn’t risk that for a chance at a relationship.

 

 He was pulled from his thoughts by the bell chiming over the door. Glancing out towards the entrance he was surprised to see the very man he’d just been thinking about.

 

“Alexander, darling? What are you doing here, there wasn’t trouble with the case, was there?”

 

He smiled a bit, shaking his head, moving further into the room

 

 “No, it all went really smoothly, actually. Izzy ran some tests and the cat hair was from Orson’s kitten.  It’s still at the precinct, Izzy said she had to keep it over night to do a few more tests… but I think she just wanted to play with the cat a bit more. We found the crate from the pet adoption place; you were right about the note. Everything wrapped up, exactly how you said it would.”

 

He paused, looking unsure, leaning against one of the desks.

 

 “I-I just wanted to say thank you, I didn’t see when you left the station or I’d of told you then.”

 

Magnus gave him a soft smile, before tilting his head in concern,

 

“Darling, you don’t have to thank me, I quite enjoyed getting to work with you on this… Why do you look so upset?”

 

 Alec sighed, shaking his head faintly,

 

“Magnus; I almost really screwed up on this. I had no clue about any of this; I was convinced it was a suicide. If you hadn’t been there, if you hadn’t pushed your way onto the case, if the chief had listened to me?

 

 She would have gotten away with it” he trailed off, slumping a bit,

 

Magnus shook his head, moving closer, settling in next to him,

 

“Alexander, _sweetheart_ ; it was a really complicated case…A lot of people would of missed it.”

_“Not you_ **”**

 

 Magnus sighed, closing his eyes

 

“I just saw-”

 

 Alec sighed, cutting him off,

 

“Magnus, please don’t say anything about visions or the cat talking to you or any of that; I think we both know that’s just flat out not true. I don’t know how you did what you did…and honestly?  If this is how it ends up?

 

I don’t really _**care**_ ; at this point I’m just really glad you can.”

 

 He shook his head, looking up, meeting Magnus’s eyes, giving him a soft, warm, utterly devastating smile.

 

“Magnus… you are incredible; what you can do, however you do it? It is amazing. I really hope you will keep working with us. The department in general…and _me_ , in particular.”

 

  _Magnus felt like he couldn’t breathe,_

_That_ _was_ _a smile he wanted to see about a million more times._

He reached over placing his hand over Alec’s, squeezing slightly, looking up meeting his eyes

 

“I would like that, _my darling detective_ … very much so.”

 

 Alec blushed a bit, shaking his head with a slight breath of a laugh

 

“Didn’t I tell you to _stop_ calling me that?”

 

He leaned a bit closer

 

Magnus smiled back “Yes, you did…and as I told _**you** …_not a chance _._ ”

 

 Alec chuckled softly, leaning closer still

 

 The bell over the door chimed, startling them both, and breaking the moment. They both looked towards the door.

 

_Ah, damnit…_

 

Magnus sighed heavily, not only rolling his eyes, but his entire head.

 

“Oh… hey dad.”

 

 **“DAD!?”** Alec kind of squeaked, moving a bit further from Magnus

 

 Magnus couldn’t really help a bit of a chuckle at the reaction, it really was painfully endearing

 

_Oh, god, he was so screwed it wasn’t even funny_

 

 “Hello Magnus, just wanted to drop by, I heard about the case today. I didn’t mean to interrupt, I can come back later, if your...busy or something” he offered, glancing away,

 

He almost looked embarrassed…but then again he’d always been a bit awkward when meeting guys Magnus was dating…

 

  _But they weren’t,_ _and he **really** needed to get his head on straight_

 

 He shook his head

 

“No, dad, that’s okay; this is Head Detective Alec Lightwood, with the SBPD.  It was his case I was helping with. He just came by to let me know the case was pretty well wrapped up and all of the information checked out.”

 

 Magnus turned to Alec

 

“Alexander, this is my dad, Henry Bane”

 

Alec snapped out of his slight stupor, stepping forward to shake Henrys hand.

 

“Mr. Bane, it is very nice to meet you. Your son was a real asset today; without him, in all likelihood, a murderer would have gone free…we are really lucky and grateful to have his assistance.”

 

Henry just nodded slightly. Alec awkwardly let go of Henry’s hand, turned to Magnus.

 

“Thank you again, Magnus”

 

“Anytime, darling” Magnus said softly,

 

 Alec looked almost like he wanted to say something else, but stopped himself, pushing off the desk, gesturing towards the door,

 

“I-I really should get going…thanks again Magnus…see you down at the station.” he smiled hopefully before turning to Henry,

 

“Mr. Bane, pleasure to meet you.”

 

“Uh huh, _**goodbye**_ detective” Henry said, crossing his arms

 

 With one more shy, sweet, utterly heart melting smile at Magnus, Alec turned and headed out the door. Magnus couldn’t help a bit of a smile himself, shaking his head with a faint sigh.

 

  _He truly was something else_

 

 Henry cleared his throat, startling Magnus

 

“So, that was the Detective you’re working with, huh?”

 

Magnus rolled his eyes

 

“Yes, dad, that was the detective I will be working with at the precinct.”

 

“I don’t like him”

 

Magnus huffed, shaking his head

 

“Dad, you talked to him for all of two minutes!”

 

Henry was unmoved, raising his eyebrow,

 

“It’s really unprofessional for a detective to hit on a consultant”

 

“ _What?!_ Dad, he wasn’t hitting on me!”

 

“Uh huh” Henry rolled his eyes

 

 _“_ Oh for heavens sakes…We just work together, that’s all” _Magnus insisted,_

 

Henry shook his head,

 

“That didn’t seem like it was all… there was something going on when I came in.”

 

 Magnus rolled his eyes

 

“We were talking about the case; he came by to thank me for my help; that was all. He was grateful for the information… for the _work_ that I did. He has been nothing but professional, encouraging and accepting throughout this entire case. I’ve no doubt in my mind that, had I been working with any other detective it would not have gone nearly as well.

 

He not only listened to my information, he supported me when I really needed it, he _vouched_ for me;

 

 I realize that may seem somewhat trivial to you, but it _isn’t_ to me.”

 

Henry shook his head faintly,

 

“I still think he was hitting on you”

 

 Magnus groaned,

 

_What the hell happened?_

 

_He was arguing with his dad about a guy trying to pick him up… had he somehow been transported back to high school without realizing it?_

 

Magnus shook his head determinedly,

 

“It is not about that, okay? This has nothing to do with my love life and everything to do with my _one_ and only chance at something that I have wanted, that we have **_both_** wanted for me, for nearly my entire life. For the first time ever  it is a real, honest to god, possibility.

 

I know you don’t really approve of my love life…you don’t really approve of me; but I would really like to think that you know me well enough to know that I wouldn’t throw all that away just for a good looking guy with an, admittedly amazing, smile.

 

Alexander is one of the most remarkable people I have ever met and, honestly, were circumstances different there is no doubt in my mind I would be pursuing him…probably to an almost _embarrassing_ degree.

 

However, having him as support in the precinct, being able to work with him on cases? Knowing that I have someone who will genuinely take me seriously- _without_ me having to change everything else about myself? That means SO much more.

 

 So, yes, that is the detective I am working with, hopefully that I will be working with for quite a while… Well, unless of course you still plan on outing me to the precinct.”

 

 Henry sighed, looking a bit stubborn, but also apologetic

 

“Magnus, you know I wouldn’t really do that; not unless I thought that you were truly putting your or someone else’s life in danger. I-I know, for a while now, you’re opinion of me hasn’t been too high, but I really hope you know that I wouldn’t do something purposely to hurt you.

 

You did really great today, by the way.” He finished quietly

 

Magnus gave a faint nod,

 

“Yeah, we really did”

 

 Henry sighed, starting to turn towards the door, but paused, adding

 

“It’s not that I stopped caring, and I didn't stop being your father; _that could never happen_ _…_ I just stopped knowing what that was: what you needed me to be.” He finished, continuing for the door

 

 “See you Thursday for dinner?” Magnus asked, softly

 

Henry gave a faint nod,

 

“Yeah son…see you Thursday.”

 

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Raphael-Raphael-Raphael-Raphael-Raphael

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

“I’m so glad that it turned out he didn’t actually kill himself…I can’t imagine feeling _that_ down” Simon murmured softly, cuddling closer to Raphael on the couch.

 

They were at Simon's, relaxing after the case, a rerun of some Marvel movie playing in the background, nether were really watching, lost in their own thoughts. Raphael smiled softly, slipping his arm around Simon, absently playing with his hair. Simon sighed contently snuggling closer.

 

“I’m kind of happy you can’t” Raphael said softly

 

Simon tilted his head, moving so he could see his boyfriend’s face,

 

“Can you?”

 

 Raphael shrugged slightly

 

“At one time, yeah… _yeah_ , I really could.”

 

“What happened?”

 

Raphael gave a slight shrug,

 

“Nothing really. Nothing huge or anything... It was just really difficult for me growing up; a lot of relatively small… and some bigger things just kind of, just…Just all start to add up after a while. I never reached that point, thankfully… but, yeah, I can definitely see how someone can.”

 

“What got you out of it?”

 

 Raphael gave a small, rather warm smile

 

“Magnus”

 

Simon tilted his head,

 

“What did he do?”

 

Raphael shrugged, reaching up, absently running his fingers through Simons hair,

 

“Nothing big really, nothing specific in any case. He was just…just _there_. He was always there when I’d hit a really rough patch… he’d listen, do anything he could. Never could get _**anything**_ past the guy;

 

He could always pick up on everything, and he always knew when to keep pushing at things that he thinks are for my own good; even when I really didn’t want him too, even when I _specifically_ tell him not to.”

 

 Raphael smiles softly, pulling Simon in closer, pressing a soft lingering kiss to his cheek,

 

“He still does…I don’t really mind it much anymore, though.”

 

Simon smiles, turning slightly leaning up catching his lips in a light, soft kiss, before pulling back a bit.

 

“I’m really glad you have him”

 

Raphael nods

 

“Me too”

 

“Just, don’t tell him that, we’ll never hear the end of it”

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Other-Other-Other-Other-Other

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

**_ Henry _ **

Rangor looks up from his closing duties at the sound of the door to the shop opening, spotting Henry he waves the man over. Reaching behind the counter, he grabs a bottle of whiskey, pouring two glasses before turning to hand one to Henry.

 

 “So; now he’s a psychic, huh?” Henry asks, raising his eyebrow

 

Rangor nods, sighing faintly,

 

“Yup, looks like it”

 

“This is probably going to blow up, isn’t it?”

 

“In all likelihood”

 

Henry raises his eyebrow

 

“What can I say? I was out of town for a month”

 

“That’s no excuse” Henry smiled a bit

 

“He seems really happy though”

 

 Rangor nodded

 

“Yeah, yeah, he does”

 

“That’s good, he really deserves that”

 

“Yeah, he really does”

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

#  Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus-Magnus

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Magnus smiles happily to himself as he leaves Izzy’s office with the kitten. It purrs contently, cuddling closer to him. He really couldn’t leave her in the lab much longer and he certainly couldn’t imagine sending her back to the pet adoption place, I mean he was sure it was nice, but really, the poor dear had already got out of there once. He _had_ wanted to get another cat… there was just the matter of Raphael.

 

 He sighs as the doors to the elevator open into the precinct. Jace is there again, annoying his brother. He briefly contemplates trying to sneak past but Jace spots him first waiving him over.

 

 “Good morning, Alexander, darling, wonderful to see you _, as always_. Jace”

 

Alec laughed a bit; Magnus was counting it a win

 

“Hey Magnus, what are you doing here?” Alec asked with a faint smile,

 

Magnus grinned, holding the kitten up,

 

“Oh, I needed to pick up our _adorable_ star witness from your lovely sister.”

 

 Alec reached over to pet the kitten, it grabbed his finger, playfully biting it, surprising Alec, making him laugh brightly.

 

_Magnus felt his heart jump a bit_

 

 “What are you going to do with this little one, anyways?” Alec asked looking up at him with a gorgeously soft smile.

 

  _There went his heart again_

 

 “Oh, I-I’m going to keep her. Well…assuming I can get Raphael to agree; he is rather determined that we will not become the ‘Crazy Cat Guys’” Magnus rolled his eyes

 

 Alec laughed, shaking his head

 

“Well, I’d hate to think of her going back to the adoption place. If he won’t go for it, let me know, I could probably take her.”

 

Magnus grinned,

 

 “My darling detective, that is very kind of you…but I do believe I can get him to go for it, I think I have a way.”

 

“What...you _‘sense’_ it?” Alec teased playfully, looking up at him with an adorably mischievous smile

 

  _If he keeps that up I am going to need one **hell** of a cardiologist_

 

Magnus smirked, raising his eyebrow, shifting closer,

 

 “ _Alexander_ , are you teasing me?! Fair warning, that is not a fight you will win, sweetheart.”

 

Alec gave a faint shrug, flashing a bit of a smile

 

“I don’t know, I might surprise you…”

 

Magnus chuckled, leaning in closer, nodding slightly,

 

“Of that I have no doubt”

 

“So, Magnus, since we're kinda friends now, does this mean you'll lift my ban at the club?” Jace interrupted

 

  _Forget a cardiologist, they needed a neurologist for Jace first, clearly **something** was broken there_

 

Magnus shook his head in disbelief,

 

 “In what world are we _anything_ approaching friends?”

 

Jace shrugged

 

 “Well… you’re working with my brother, so that should count for something. _Come on,_ you’ll lift the ban... right?”

 

 Magnus acted like he was thinking for a second, then smiled, giving a slight nod,

 

“Sure, you know, on second thought, I will _._ You are welcome at Pandemonium  anytime.”

 

  _“Really!?”_  Jace exclaimed

 

 “You sure about that, Magnus?” Alec asked, quirking his eyebrow.

 

“Yes, darling, I am” he said nodding consideringly, then turning towards Jace

 

“You are welcome anytime... So long as _Alexander_ is there with you. I am sure he can keep you in line and from making too much trouble.” Magnus paused, glancing over appreciatively at Alec,

 

“Besides, having something pretty to look at would make your idiocy _so much_ more tolerable.”

 

He leaned over, pressing a firm kiss to Alec’s cheek, leaving a perfect light pink lip print. Alec blushed brilliant red, stammered and sputters, then just kind of gives up and puts his head down on his desk.

 

Jace burst out laughing

 

 Mission accomplished, Magnus leaves them and walks over to where Raphael is standing. The second he sees Magnus he starts shaking his head.

_“_ Don’t even think about it.”

 

“What?”

 

“We are not keeping the cat, Magnus”

 

“Oh come on Ralph, _she's so cute!”_

 

“No”

 

“But she totally helped us solve the case!”

 

_“No”_

 

“But look, she’s all black _,_ she matches your soul!”

 

_“No ”_

 

“Oh…but she won't even mess up your suits; you wouldn't be able to see the fur.”

 

“No, Magnus”

 

“Bu-”

 

 _“NO_. _It is not happening,_ I already told you: we are NOT going to be the ‘Crazy Cat Guys’ there is NO way!” Raphael finished, crossing his arms stubbornly,

 

Magnus rolls his eyes

 

“Bu-”

 

“Hey g- Aww!” Simon stops mid sentence, bounding over to the desk, spotting the kitten. He reaches over picking her up carefully, scratching under her chin and cuddling her close to his chest.

 

“Oh that’s so sweet, look how cute she is! She’s the sweetest thing… _I just love her!"_

 

Raphael smiles, leaning against his side, reaching over, petting the kittens head, “Yeah, we're actually going to keep her.”

 

“Really?!” Simon exclaims

 

Raphael nods,

 

 Magnus bursts out laughing,

 

“ _Shut up_ Magnus" Raphael glares

 

“So,” Raphael starts, turning back, smoothly slipping his arm around Simon

 

“Do you want to help name her?”

 

**_  The End _ **

**_        For Now _ **

#  *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
>  _Okay, so, here's the thing-_ it would of been **_really_** easy to just get Magnus and Alec together on this, I think it'll be like that a **_lot_** in this series, honestly, but it IS going to be a bit before they do; **_I'm really not trying to be dramatic,_** _I do_ have a reason for it.
> 
> Alec, at first has trouble with the lie about him being a psychic- he's already for the most part over that by the end of this one, but it may still cause him doubt here and there. After that, once he sees just how much of an asset Magnus is to the precinct he will be unwilling to risk that for just a casual relationship- and he doesn't really think Magnus would want a long term relationship with him, because Magnus gets so much attention and is, _in Alec's opinion_ , just way out of his league. (Magnus will help to fix that view of course)
> 
>  
> 
> Magnus, is just as hesitant as far as perusing a relationship with Alec is concerned. Alec and Izzy are his best allies at the precinct, if it gets messed up it could cost him his only chance at a career he has wanted his whole life. Also Alec has made it quite clear that he will take Magnus information seriously, and will treat him as an equal- Magnus may find Alec extremely attractive and quite appealing, but as of yet, the risk in pursuing a relationship with him isn't worth what he may have to give up for it. **_(We know it'll work out for them, but they can't be sure yet)_**
> 
>  
> 
> Basically, my idea is that, by the time they actually **_do_** get together, they're not just _crushing_ on each other, they're not just **_attracted_** to each other- they are actually _totally, completely, head over heels **in love**_.
> 
> That **_will_** take a bit of time- but I really think it'll be worth it in the long run.
> 
> I really hope you all enjoyed this and continue with the series.
> 
> ***********************
> 
> The next one I will be starting, probably next week and will be kind of based on the ‘Gus walks into a bank’ Episode
> 
> It’s going to be Simon that gets caught up in a bank heist though; I half think if I try writing Raphael as the one caught up in it he’d end up leading the heist by the end of it. That probably wouldn’t go over too well with his boyfriend.
> 
> I really want to get more depth to Simon’s character, I think this will be a really interesting way to add to that.


End file.
